


Republic City's Secrets

by Gizmodo



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:34:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2828453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gizmodo/pseuds/Gizmodo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things and people aren't always what and who they seem to be... </p><p>Corruption chokeholds Republic City but is there anyone out there who can help?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So, I Met This Girl...

**Author's Note:**

> Only my second fanfic, please bare with me. This is an AU set in the time period/world of LoK, but there are no benders. To keep consistent with the lack of elemental bending, each nation had its element dropped from its name, i.e. the "Southern Water Tribe" is just the "Southern Tribe". I aged up the characters some to give them enough "years of life for the experience they had" (Korra's about 24, Asami 25, Bolin 23, and Mako 25). The POV switches back and forth mainly between Asami and Korra but there will be other brief POVs. Also, there will be a few made-up names for towns, etc.
> 
> And lastly, there are other reasons besides smut that make this an explicit work. I don't want to give too much away with tags or archive warnings until I post those chapters, but be forewarned this is going to be an occasionally dark piece.

The bell over the door rang softly as Asami walked into the mostly deserted dumpling shop. It was getting close to midnight and she wasn’t all that hungry, but she just couldn’t stand being on her Satocycle another minute; her butt was way too sore from all the hard riding to continue on. Plus, this was the only building she'd found that was still open and she needed to start asking around for a place to stay the night since it didn’t look like she'd be making it home any time soon. Ominous clouds that promised heavy rain had started to form between the town she was in and her final destination: Republic City.

She spotted an empty table by the window (away from everyone else) and meandered over to it, sighing to herself as she plopped onto a chair, _’I need to adjust the suspension on that damn bike. Serves me right for taking a prototype out for a long test ride...'_

Asami opened up the menu and started perusing it, but was quickly distracted by the waitress who came up to the table to take her order.

Normally, she was the one who was gawked at. She had inherited all of her mother’s stunning beauty (light jade eyes streaked with gold; silky raven hair that waved and curled; smooth and flawless alabaster skin; luscious, full lips; curves in all the right places) and her father’s superior intelligence (and height). She knew the affect she had on most people and had grown accustomed to (and annoyed with) men and women staring at her with their mouths open.

So, it was to her complete chagrin that she found herself slack-jawed and speechless as her eyes settled upon the beauty with the notepad standing before her.

“Hi. What can I get for ya?” the waitress asked, scratching the tip of her nose with her pen.

Asami was floored by how insanely attractive the tan woman was.

Upon closer inspection, she saw that her eyes were pools of azure with little flecks of silver sprinkled throughout and a dark band of navy blue around the edges… and her body. _‘Mmm. Damn.’_  She was of average height but incredibly proportional and, from what Asami could tell based on her exposed forearms and how the rolled-up sleeves of her cream-colored tunic hugged her upper arms, incredibly fit.

“Uh… er… I’ll, uh… have a hot tea, please… Jasmine, if you, er... have it?” Asami sputtered. She mentally scolded herself, _‘What is wrong with you, Asami? Did you lose your tongue at that last pothole you hit? Geez.’_

The waitress raised an eyebrow at Asami while writing down her order, “Sure do. Will that be all for you or do you need a few more minutes to look over the menu?”

Asami opened and closed her mouth a few times, like a fish out of water, until she finally managed to say, “I think I’ll need a few minutes… please.”

“Okay... I’ll be back soon, then.” And with that, the waitress turned around and walked away, giving Asami a wonderful view of her backside.

Asami let out a groan and hid her face in her arms on the table. _‘Smooth, Sato. Very smooth. Maybe next time she comes over, you could drool a bit — embarrass yourself a little more. Ugh. On the bright side, at least she doesn't seem to know who you are...'_

—

Korra walked back behind the counter to get the newcomer’s tea started and noticed Bolin peeking out from behind the kitchen serving window.

She waved her hand in front of his face, “Bo, what are you staring at?”

Apparently not hearing her, Bolin just kept staring with his mouth slightly open, neglecting the food that he should have been cooking.

Korra looked over her shoulder and saw the gorgeous newcomer with the raven hair, resting her head on the table. _‘Ha. Of course.'_ She rapped her knuckles on the metal surface of the serving window to get his attention. “EARTH TO BOLIN. We have hungry customers and you’re burning their food."

Bolin blinked a few times and shook his head like he had been punched in the jaw, “Huh? What? Did you say something Korra?”

Korra sighed and ran her hand down her face, “Stop staring at that girl — you’re going to burn everyone’s food.”

“OH! Right! On it!” Bolin cried as he frantically started checking on the various dumplings cooking. Korra just chuckled lightly at him as she set a Jasmine tea bag in a pot of hot water, allowing it to steep some.

—

Asami sat bolt upright with a small gasp as the waitress set a cup down on her table.

She raised both her eyebrows in surprise at Asami. “Easy there. Know what you want, yet?” the waitress inquired as she poured some tea in the cup.

 _‘You.’_ was the immediate and unbidden response in Asami’s mind, but, instead of letting slip unfiltered thoughts, she licked her dry lips and looked around the little shop. She saw the blackboard near the host stand and responded, “I’ll just have the house special.”

The waitress set the tea pot down on the table and raised her little notepad, scribbling the order down.

“Will that be all?” She lowered her notepad after a finishing flourish of the pen.

Asami’s eyes ranged up and down the tan woman’s body, again. _‘No.’_ “Yes, that will be all,” she noticed the woman’s nametag; it read 'Korra' and Asami smiled a bit, “thank you… Korra, is it? That’s a beautiful name. You come from the Southern Tribe, right?”

The azure-eyed woman nodded and smiled slightly, “Yes ma’am, born and raised Southerner.”

They stared at each other with little smiles for a few seconds (Asami about to ask more questions), but the moment was over when the ding of a small bell had the waitress turning around and walking away. 

Asami's eyes followed the retreating figure and she couldn't help but appreciate the gentle sway of Korra's hips as she walked.

Her walk was an elegant and subtle mix of sashay and strut; controlled but slightly seductive, confident but not cocky...  _'Anddd I'm overanalyzing.'_ She groaned to herself again, mentally smacking her forehead and looking forward so as to not be caught staring, _‘What are you doing? It's been awhile but are you really so desperate that you’re going to make "goo-goo eyes" at some waitress you just met?’_

Movement out of the corner of her eye brought Asami out of her thoughts and back to her surroundings, just in time to see Korra reaching up for something on her tip-toes behind the counter; her firm ass on excellent display in those skin-tight, navy blue jodhpurs. Asami felt a pang of desire at the sight and pinched the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed as she tried to fight the blush rising up her cheeks. _‘I guess that answers that question.’_

—

Korra went around to all the regulars (the only other patrons in the shop at this time of night), refilling their various drinks and making small talk. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but shoot a few covert glances at the newcomer with the captivating jade eyes as she moved throughout the shop; she had this nagging feeling that she should know who the woman is...

She wandered back into the kitchen to help Bolin prepare some orders. “Hey Bo, does that woman look familiar to you? I feel like I know her from somewhere, but I just can’t seem to place it.”

Bolin snorted and looked over at Korra, “Seriously? You don’t know who that is?”

Korra shrugged her shoulders, “I can’t seem to think of a name but I definitely recognize the face.”

“Korra… that’s Asami **Sato** — you know, as in the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, founder of Future Industries and creator of the Satomobile. Don’t you pay attention to… well, anything?”

“Oh. Well, I knew she looked familiar. And get off my back — you’re the one trying to burn peoples’ food by not paying attention." Korra scratched the side of her head as her thoughts drifted and she wondered out loud, "I wonder why she’s out here in Zhaoling; this dump isn't exactly a cultural hub for millionaires...”

Bolin lightly smacked her upside the back of her head, snapping her out of her pondering.

“HEY! What was that for?!” Korra glared and rubbed her head.

“What is wrong with you, Kor? You're always thinking when you should be acting and you're always acting when you should be thinking; hint, right now, you should be acting! I don’t know why she’s out here, but can't you see that she looks like she wants to stay? She’s been staring at you and your ass the entire time she's been here — not that I blame her.”

Korra couldn’t help but laugh, “Act on what? Her? You and I both know she’s just passing through here and has no intention of staying. And she has not been staring at my ass... though, should I be concerned that it appears you still do? Because that kind of makes our sleeping arrangement a little awkward.”

Exasperated, Bolin stirred the wok he was standing over with a little more force than necessary, "Yes, she has been staring at it... and no, you shouldn't be concerned, it's been over three years and I have more than moved on; just because I can admire beauty, doesn't mean I have to acquire beauty. Plus, you know I love sleeping on the king-sized bed too much to risk switching back to those tiny single beds."

Korra rolled her eyes at him, "How very... philosophical and mature of you? I'm sure Opal will love to hear that." Snickering, she poked him in the shoulder, "For all we know, she feels the same way as you on the issue of my ass: 'admire not acquire'."

That jab got her a small glare from her best friend as he slid the food onto plates, "Anyway, I don't have the time and you know it, Bo-Bo." She grabbed the plates of food that were ready to go out and carried them towards the door.

Bolin just shook his head (he hated that nickname) and called after her, “Whatever. She's an 'acquirer' and you deserve a break. I guarantee you that if you unbutton at least two more buttons, it's a done deal.”

She snorted but didn't answer him. She pushed through the door and out of the kitchen, feeling conflicted about how she wanted the night to play out.

On the one hand, it had been over a year since she'd been with someone and the newcomer was hot as hell... On the other hand, she had obligations... and she wasn't even sure the industrialist's daughter really was interested in her, despite Bolin's claims. _'I guess there's only one way to find out?'_

—

Asami pulled out her wallet as she waited for her food to come out, removing an old, worn photo with tattered edges. She stared at the photo for awhile, lightly tracing the faces of her mother and father with her finger. It was her favorite photo, taken two months before her 7th birthday. In it, Hiroshi was sitting beside Asami’s mother with his arm around her mother’s shoulder and Asami standing in front of them. They all looked so happy…

 _'I can’t believe it's been almost 20 years since mom was alive.'_ She sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying to keep the pain of missing her mother at bay. Once she was in control of her emotions again, she traced her finger lovingly over her mother’s face one last time and slipped the photo back into her wallet.

“Hey, are you all right?” asked Korra as she set down Asami’s food.

“What? Oh. Yeah. I’m fine. Long day, long ride. What is this?” Asami pointed at the plate brought to her.

Korra leaned slightly to one side defensively and put her hand on her hip in annoyance, gesturing with the other hand. “What do you mean, ‘What is this?’… it’s what you ordered. Elephant koi and moon peaches baozi. AKA, the house special.” The tan woman huffed and blew a stray piece of dark chocolate hair off of her face.

 _‘Wow, she’s feisty... I do like them feisty... Stop it, Asami!’_ She nodded, hoping that she wasn’t blushing too noticeably, “Right. That is indeed what I ordered, my apologies.”

Korra relaxed a bit, “Did you want any 'bo' sauce?”

“Ahh… what?”

Korra laughed, “'Bo' sauce. It's our cook's own recipe; it's a chili and mango soy sauce. It tastes like sweet fire and... You know what? I’ll just bring you some and you can find out for yourself." 

Before Asami could even open her mouth to say anything in response, the waitress turned and walked into the kitchen, coming back out a few seconds later with a small bowl full of a dark brown liquid. She smiled tentatively as the tan woman set down the bowl.

Korra crossed her arms over her chest and stared expectantly at Asami. “Try it. It’s really good — I promise.”

Asami sat there for a moment, dumbfounded by Korra's request (really, it was more of an order), but shrugged and picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and dipped it in the sauce. Before taking a bite, she looked up at the beautiful waitress to see that the other woman was biting her bottom lip in anticipation. _‘Oh boy. Okay, Asami. Keep it together and just take a bite.’_ She took a small bite of the baozi and started to chew. The sudden burst of heavenly flavor in her mouth caused her to react involuntarily; her eyes closed as she continued to chew and she moaned appreciatively.

Her eyes flew open and she tensed at the unwanted sound she’d made. She swallowed hard, a blush slowly crawling up her cheeks as she delicately placed her chopsticks back down on the dish.

Korra smirked at her, “Now that’s what I like to hear. I told you you’d like it.”

Asami gave her a weak smile, “You were right... This is really delicious.”

The tan woman uncrossed her arms and leaned on the table, her voice a little lower, “Believe me when I say it's not the most delicious thing here..." Asami shivered at the cocky half-smile Korra was giving her, "Anyway, don’t let me distract you from enjoying your meal… **Miss Sato**.”

With a sly wink, the Southern woman straightened up and sauntered away, leaving Asami flustered and staring. _'Spirits help me.'_

—

 _‘Okay, so maybe Bolin was right… Maybe she really is interested?’_ Korra had returned to the kitchen and was scrubbing at some food residue stuck to the plate she was washing.  _‘Why else would the venerable 'Miss Asami Sato' be that flustered by such brief flirting?’_

She scrubbed even harder at the residue.  _'Ugh... Even if she is interested, I have to meet the others tonight and that takes priority.'_  

She picked at the spot with her nail. _'I guess I could_ _do both...?'_ Sure, she'd probably be pulling an all-nighter, but they would understand — right?

Korra grunted in frustration and finally gave up on the food spot, dropping the plate back into the sink to soak a little more. She stood there debating the pros and cons for several seconds before deciding. _‘Fuck it. I’m going to go for it.'_

She looked down at her chest and sighed.  _'I may as well take Bolin's suggestion... it couldn't hurt.'_  

Walking towards the door that led out of the kitchen, she unbuttoned the top two buttons and adjusted herself and the tunic's mandarin collar a bit as she went. _‘Perfect.’_

As she pushed open the door separating the kitchen from the counter, she glanced over at Bolin who gave her a wink and a big thumbs up.

 _'Smug bastard.’_ Korra blushed and threw him a quick middle-finger before walking through the doorway.

—

Asami ate her dumplings eagerly, not realizing how hungry she actually was from all the riding she’d done that day.

She had put her chopsticks down when she'd made that embarrassing sound in front of Korra, but she hadn't pick the chopsticks back up once the waitress had walked away. Instead, she decided to eat the baozi with her fingers, something her 'status in society' hadn’t allowed for since she was a child. _‘If dad could see me now… HA!’_

She pulled each dumpling apart meticulously, taking each individual piece and soaking it in the sauce before popping it into her mouth. It felt so good to be childish, even for just a little while.

She smiled in content as she picked up another piece of dumpling and held it in the heavenly sauce for a few seconds. _‘I have got to learn how to make this “bo” sauce thing.’_ She popped the piece into her mouth and hummed happily; she knew she was being unnecessarily messy but she didn’t care. She would clean up her face and fingers when she was completely finished and no sooner.

“I see you're enjoying your meal; good to know that you have a healthy appetite and don’t mind getting a little dirty.”

Asami swallowed the half-eaten dumpling in surprise — not realizing that Korra had come over — and started to cough. The tan woman leaned towards her and started thumping her back lightly, trying to help her breath again.

After a few seconds, Asami’s coughing eased up some. _‘Was that... was that innuendo?’_ She waved off Korra’s thumping, “I’m fine. I’m fine — really.”

A couple more small coughs from Asami and a sip of tea caused her breathing to return to normal. Without looking at Korra, she set down her cup and picked up her napkin, wiping off her face and fingers.

“You know you really shouldn’t sneak up on customers. I could’ve choked and…” her words dying on her tongue as she turned her head to glare at the tan woman.

All of her annoyance dissipated immediately as her eyes locked onto soft, mocha flesh and her mouth dropped open with an “Oh” as she was confronted with a still leaning Korra sans a couple of buttons. _‘...Definitely innuendo.'_

Korra chuckled, “Hey, my eyes are up here.” gesturing for Asami to look up as the tan woman stood upright.

Asami felt like a small child who had gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar when she looked up at Korra’s face. “I am so sorry.” Asami blushed a bright shade of crimson and pointedly looked over the waitress’s shoulder to avoid staring into those azure eyes. _'I'm acting like a child, indeed.'_

The Southern woman grinned and winked, “Hey, it’s no problem; I wouldn’t show them off if I didn’t want certain people to see. Anyway, now that you’re not trying to die on me, can I get you anything else? Maybe some more tea?”

“Uh, no. I think I’m good. Just the check, please.” mumbled Asami, blushing even harder and turning her head to look out the window.

She didn't see Korra walk back to the register to ring her up.

—

Korra smirked to herself as she rung up the jade-eyed beauty; the look on that poor girl's face when she got caught staring at her chest — priceless!

She glanced up at the clock and read that it was 11:34 PM. _‘Good. We can shut down the kitchen and start closing for the night.’_

She casually called back into the kitchen, “Hey Bolin, closing time!”

She chuckled when she heard him shout, “Yipee!”, then rang the service bell three times, which was the cue for the regulars to start packing up and heading out.

Korra waved and said goodnight to all of the customers exiting the shop. She didn’t need to ring them up before they left, anymore; she knew their orders, they knew the price and left the right amount of money, and she just took care of it at the very end of the night. That still left the Sato woman to take care of, though.

She glanced over at the raven-haired woman who was still red in the cheeks and completely lost in thought, staring out the window at the approaching storm.

Korra let her hair down, shaking her head back and forth to give it some life, as she brought the check over to the woman’s table and slid it across the tabletop, “Take your time with that. I’m going to go start cleaning, so just holler when you need me."

—

Asami nodded vacantly as the waitress walked away. _‘I should probably ask her if there are any places to stay around here... if my brain and body don't betray me again, that is.'_

_**Ba-BOOM!** _

Korra, Bolin, and Asami jumped in surprise at the sudden crack of thunder. The reverberation could be felt in their bones and seen in the windows.

Asami cursed under her breath, “Shit. I better figure out what I’m going to do tonight before it starts to rain.”

“What’d you say?”

Asami gave a little start; she hadn’t realized that Korra had wandered back over to her table. _‘Girl needs to wear a damn bell or something.'_

“Oh. Nothing. I just need to find some place to stay tonight, preferably before it starts to rain. Satocycles and rain don’t exactly mix well… Do you know of any rooms for rent around here?” Asami asked absent-mindedly, tapping her fingers on the table and staring at the incoming storm.

Korra sat down across from her and put her chin on her hand, “Well, we only have a motel around here. It’s usually pretty vacant… but that’s mainly because it’s a shit-hole. Any folk passing through here that are even mildly decent steer clear of that place. Normally, they just go to the next town or stay with family or friends.”

“Well, neither option is exactly viable for me. Is there anything else?” Asami looked over at the azure-eyed woman for the first time since Korra had walked away to ring her up.

She had already come to the conclusion that Korra was beautiful, but she hadn’t realized how truly gorgeous the woman was until her dark chocolate hair was hanging loose in smooth waves, framing her face and extending down to just above her slightly exposed bust line. The Southern woman possessed a raw, natural, and untamed kind of beauty that made Asami's heart race. She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her her lap, squeezing her thighs above the knees to release some pent-up tension. _'Control your emotions, Sato.'_

A hand slapped down on the table, unpleasantly snapping Asami out of it. _'For fuck's sake with the scaring me thing!'_ She looked up at the owner of the rogue hand and found it belonged to a stocky, muscular man with kind emerald eyes and a very dirty apron.

“Well, then, that’s settled! My name is Bolin and Korra and I can be your friends. You're welcome to stay the night with us.” he pointed two thumbs at his chest with a proud smile. _'That explains why it's called 'Bo' sauce.'_

Asami smiled at the offer, then giggled a little when she saw Korra's mouth hanging open.

The tan woman quickly slid off the chair, grabbing his arm and dragging him a little distance away.

—

Korra hissed, “Bolin! What are you doing?? She can’t stay with us… for all we know, she’s some serial killer.” She gripped his arm a little tighter to emphasis the point.

The pressure practically made him screech, “Ow! Korra, stop it! That hurts… you know how delicate I am." She relaxed her grip and his voice lowered some, "And if that’s the case, then that means you’ve been flirting with a killer for the past half hour." His voice lowered even more as he leaned in, "Plus, if you were planning what I think you were planning, wouldn't she already be staying the night with us anyway...?”

Korra let go of him but punched him in the arm, her voice a low, angry whisper, “Delicate my ass, Bo. And no. I was only flirting. IF things went that way, though, I was going to go to Mako's like I said I would in the case of — in your words — 'sleepovers' and ditch when she was asleep. You know that, so, what are you playing at?” She crossed her arms and glared at him, ignoring the jab about 'flirting with a killer'.

“I’m not playing at anything. You know that storm will be here before she could get to the next town, she doesn't deserve to be left alone at Mako's empty place, and she sure as hell will not be staying at the motel — you know what would happen to someone like her if she was there by herself. Staying with us is her best option.” Bolin grumbled as he rubbed his sore arm, "And I just thought it'd be nice for you to spend a night at the house... you haven't slept in your own bed in two weeks."

“That's beside the point. We only have the one bed and we are not all sleeping together, so what's your plan for that, genius?”

Bolin pouted, “I already thought of that: I’ll sleep on the couch and she can sleep in the bed with you.”

Korra turned a delicate shade of red; she'd finally figured out what he was trying to maneuver her into.

Bolin knew how she operated when it came to relationships (or lack thereof), and it pissed her off to no end that he was trying to create a situation where she had to wake up the next day to a one-night stand in her bed. It's just not how she did things.

She jabbed him in the chest, voice slightly raised, forgetting that they had an audience, “I know what you're playing at and you know that's not how this works. I do not need you trying to put people into my bed, thank-you-very-much!”

Korra and Bolin both froze momentarily, then turned towards Asami, eyes wide open like deer in the headlight when they heard her clear her throat, “If you don’t mind me staying with you for the night, I’d be more than happy to sleep on the couch and compensate you for your troubles.”

—

Asami stood up from the table and smoothed out her tank top and leather jacket. "Oh, and Bolin? There’s no need for you to try and get people into Korra’s bed; she’s more than capable of doing it on her own. And Korra, I’m not a serial killer, so don’t fret.”

She chuckled at Bolin’s sheepish grin and winked at Korra who was rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

“Ah… so, you heard that?”

Laughing outright, she walked over to them, “Of course I heard it. Well, most of it. I’m the only one in here and you only walked a few feet away from me. Not to mention you both got a little loud at times.”

When she reached them, Asami stuck out her hand to the tan woman, “By the way, I know you guys know who I am, but I’d like to formally introduce myself. My name is Asami Sato and it’s wonderful to meet the both of you.”

She smiled reassuringly when the azure-eyed woman took her hand, carefully shaking it, “Ditto.” Asami giggled and took Bolin’s hand next and shook it.

When Asami released Bolin’s hand, he clapped them together, “So... All awkwardness aside, Ms. Sato, would you like to stay with us for the night?”

She nodded, “That’d be wonderful, if Korra is okay with it? And, please, call me Asami."

Bolin and Korra looked at each other then back at Asami. He smiled and, after a moment of silence, Korra sighed in utter defeat, "Bo's right. Staying with us is your best option, so I guess I'm okay with it."

Asami beamed, "Thank you both for your hospitality. Is there anything I can help you guys out with? I’d be happy to help you close.”

Korra shrugged, waving Asami forward, “Follow me. I’ll get you cleaning supplies and you can wipe down the table and counter tops. And don’t worry about your dinner, it’s on the house."

— 

Forty minutes later, Korra was washing the last of the dishes and Bolin was almost done cleaning the prep area.

Asami knocked on the kitchen door and walked through, cleaning supplies in hand. “All done with the table and counter tops. I hope you guys don’t mind that I used that broom hiding behind the counter to sweep up. I wasn’t sure if you had some preferred method of cleaning the floors or not, so I just kind of went for it.”

Bolin smiled at her brightly and hurried over to her, giving her a big bear hug while lifting her off the floor, “Thanks Asami! Usually we leave the sweeping for before opening time, but this just means we get to sleep in tomorrow!”

Asami gasped when Bolin picked her up and laughed as she was put back down by the big man, “Bolin, are you always this … exuberant? And it was really no problem.”

“Yup. He’s always this way and I know what you’re thinking… I agree; it’s amazing he doesn’t have any restraining orders against him. He’s lucky he’s such a lovable goof.” Korra walked over to Bolin and put her arm around his waist and squeezed, “Right, bro?”

Bolin smiled sheepishly and mumbled, “Sorry. I just got really excited about sleeping in.”

All of them laughed at that for a few moments but the laughter died away as the two returned to cleaning; Bolin turning back towards the prep area to resume his scrubbing as Korra walked back over to the sink, leaving Asami to stand there and watch.

A few minutes passed where nothing but the sound of cleaning happened as Asami leaned against the wall, her thoughts jumping back and forth between Satocycle adjustments and sleeping at Korra and Bolin’s house.

Her thoughts of spending the cold, sure-to-be rainy night with the tribal woman won out as she looked up and over at Korra. The tan woman had started to mutter under her breath and grunt as she tried to grab a new bottle of soap on a shelf just out of her reach.

Asami had thought that her blatant interest in Korra had gone and would go unreciprocated until, to her surprise, the waitress had started flirting with her, even going so far as to expose her cleavage for her. She'd be lying if she didn't say she had gotten her hopes up that maybe she wouldn't have to spend the night alone, but when Bolin had invited her to spend the night with them, it was suddenly as if none of the evening had happened and Korra was completely disinterested in her. Asami couldn't understand the change, but she'd be damned if she didn't turn the situation back around to a more favorable outcome. _'After all, I always get what I want...'_

As she watched the Southern woman struggle, a plan formulating to get Korra interested in her again.

She walked up behind the frustrated woman and pressed close behind her, putting one hand gently on Korra’s lower back and reaching up to the shelf with the other to grab the bottle.

“Here you go.” Asami whispered in Korra’s ear while bringing her arm down around the tan woman, holding the bottle in front of her. She mentally sighed with satisfaction as Korra tensed and froze. _'That's more like it.'_

She leaned in closer, almost brushing the tan woman’s ear with her lips as she whispered even softer, “As you probably noticed, I caught onto your little move earlier with the buttons… and I really, _really_ liked it... So, know that I plan to return the favor and two can play this game.”

She lightly ran her fingers across Korra’s covered lower back as she gently bit down on the azure-eyed woman’s ear lobe. She dragged her teeth across the woman’s delicate skin, releasing her ear lobe with a little click of her teeth. _’Mmm.’_ She breathed out softly, “Your move."

She chuckled softly and dropped her hand from Korra’s back as the woman silently accepted the bottle.

—

Fire. Korra’s skin was on fire. At least, that’s what it felt like.

The burning, tingling sensation started where the other woman's pale hand rested on Korra’s lower back, spreading like wildfire to all of her extremities as the jade-eyed woman brushed up and down her backside while reaching for the bottle.

Korra’s breath hitched and her whole body tensed involuntarily when Asami whispered in her ear. _‘Don’t move.'_  

Just when Korra thought Asami was going to move away, the raven-haired woman trailed her fingers across her back and bit her ear lobe.

 _‘_ _Fuck.’_ Korra’s chest constricted tightly and it felt like her heart had stopped. _‘Do not react, do not react, do not react.’_ Korra wasn’t sure if she was going to melt or explode from the contact as she hesitantly took the bottle offered to her.

Thankfully, Asami dropped her hand off of Korra’s back, allowing her to slowly let out the shaky breath she’d been holding and open her eyes. _’I may let Bolin live another day after all... I may even have to thank him for this later.'_

Korra smirked slightly: maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Asami stayed with them/her all night...


	2. And We Had Shots...

Asami walked away from Korra grudgingly and back out into the main area of the shop when she heard more thunder outside, rumbling closer and closer with every minute.

Bolin finished his cleaning seconds later and followed her out, stopping in the doorway between the kitchen and counter. “Hey guys, is there somewhere I could park my Satocycle for the night? It’s only a prototype, so I really shouldn’t leave it completely exposed to the elements.”

She turned to look at Bolin, who had leaned against the kitchen doorframe, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips, “Sure. We have a small covered parking spot at our house you could use. Speaking of which, we should really head out.”

 _’Ha. He must’ve seen what happened.’_ She smiled at him as he ran his hand through his short black hair, his smirk finally taking over completely. He winked at her as he spoke over his shoulder, “Hey Kor, you ready?”

“I was born ready, Bo. Let’s get walking.” Korra came sauntering out wearing a dark brown leather bomber jacket with a fur collar and carrying another jacket that must have been Bolin’s. It was Asami’s turn to smirk as she looked at Korra, seeing that the other woman hadn’t quite gotten over their encounter in the kitchen; her cheeks were still a soft pink and her azure eyes were slightly unfocused, as if her mind was elsewhere.

“Walk? Why don’t we all just take my cycle? It’s got a sidecar, so the three of us should have no problem fitting.” Asami started walking towards the front door of the shop.

“Cool! I’ve always wanted to ride on a Satocycle!” Bolin pumped his fist in excitement then slipped on his jacket.

Korra laughed at his eagerness. “Sure. That sounds fine to me.” Asami and Bolin were ushered out the door by Korra so she could lock up behind them.

—

Korra checked that the door was securely locked as Asami walked over to the cycle, putting on an open-faced helmet with goggles once beside the cycle.

Korra turned around to watch as the industrialist’s daughter hiked her long leg over the seat, stomping down on the engine starter. Korra’s heart fluttered a little as the engine roared to life and the pale-skinned woman smiled at her and Bolin, “All aboard.”

Bolin ran over to the cycle, “I CALL SIDECAR!” He jumped in and threw a big smile at Korra.

Korra sighed heavily. _‘Spirits dammit, why does he always have to make things so difficult for me?’_ She walked over to the cycle and swung her leg over the seat, settling behind Asami, leaving some space for the 'holy ghost' between them. She looked down around her hips for something to hold onto, finding nothing.

The jade-eyed beauty turned her head and noticed Korra searching for somewhere to put her hands. “There aren’t any hand holds for you back there. You’re going to have to hold onto me.”

Korra paled slightly, “Oh. Um, okay…” She rested her hands tentatively on Asami’s hips.

Asami giggled softly, “Korra, you’re going to have to scoot closer to me and wrap your arms around my waist, otherwise, you’ll just slide right off the backend of the cycle when we start moving.”

Korra blushed at the thought of being that close, but obliged and scooted forward until she was flush against the heiress’ back. She wrapped her arms loosely around the other woman’s slender waist as Asami faced forward again, playing with some electronics on the small dash.

Bolin took this opportunity to flash Korra a smug grin. She almost slapped him right then and there, but he was saved by Asami putting the cycle in first gear and turning on the headlight. So, Korra just glared at him and mouthed, “I will deal with you later.”

Bolin just kept smiling and waved away Korra’s threat.

—

Asami held the clutch in as she pushed the cycle back, then she let out the clutch a little as she turned the handlebars while adding some throttle, causing the bike to turn around. “Okay, which way?”

Bolin had to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the sound of the engine, “Turn right and just keep driving for a couple of minutes. I’ll let you know when the next turn is coming up.”

Asami nodded and turned right like he had instructed. Once she was established on the road, she opened up the throttle and sped up, causing the Southern woman to instinctually tighten her arms around Asami's waist. A blush crept up her cheeks as she felt Korra bury her face in Asami’s shoulder while curling her fingers into Asami’s clothing. Her mind wandered to what else those fingers could curl into… She vigorously shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the very distracting thoughts. _‘Focus, Sato. We need to get to the house safely before you drift off to la-la-lust land.’_

After she drove a few blocks, Bolin called out to her, “Okay! Not this street but the next one, hang a left and our house is the fourth on the right!”

Asami nodded again and drove through the intersection. She was coming up to the next street when she felt the first few drops of rain hit her face. She took the left turn and slowed down some so as not to lose traction as the rain started falling harder. Several bolts of lightning struck cloud to cloud up ahead of them, momentarily washing everything in sight with flashes of brilliant white light.

“Up there on the right! That’s our house!” Bolin shouted to be heard over the engine and the claps and rolls of thunder that followed the dazzling lightning display.

Asami pulled into the drive and under the covering, killing the engine and removing her helmet, hanging it on the handlebars. Bolin jumped out of the sidecar, “Quick, everyone inside!”

He sprinted for the front door to unlock it as Asami and Korra watched a sheet of torrential downpour rapidly approach them. Bolin threw open the door and everyone rushed in, just barely beating the arrival of the heavier rainfall.

“Whew, that was a close one. I know I need a shower but that was not what I had in mind.” Bolin flipped on the lights then shook out his coat and hung it on the little coat rack by the door. Korra and Asami quickly followed suit and all of them removed their boots.

As she stood upright, Asami shivered slightly from the cold, damp air and the hard patter of pouring rain. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep from shaking as she took in the little house around her. It was a quaint Kingdom-style bungalow; not very large but blissfully cozy. From what she could see, it consisted of a nice sized living room with a fireplace, a kitchen with an attached breakfast nook, a half-bathroom, and a master suite hidden from view behind a closed set of ornate shoji doors. The furniture was older and obviously second-hand but well cared for and pictures hung all around the room.  _'Now this is a proper home. It’s so comfortable and personal...'_

Korra spoke up, noticing Asami staring around the room, “I know it’s not much, but it’s home, so please, make yourself comfortable.”

“It’s perfect; I feel right at home… Thank you again, both of you.” She smiled at them and then turned her attention on a picture of Korra, Bolin, and another man laughing at something with their arms around each others’ shoulders.

Asami walked closer to the picture and inspected it more closely as Bolin and Korra busied themselves with getting a fire started. Asami gazed at the photo and noted that Korra was in a Southern Tribe naval officer’s dress uniform, Bolin was in a United Republic Armed Forces medical officer dress uniform, and the other man was in a Republic City Police dress uniform…

Asami gasped. _‘Holy shit. Is that Mako?’_ Asami’s gasp caused Korra to look up at her quickly.

“What is it? What’s wrong??”

The tan woman quickly hurried over to where Asami was standing, still staring at the picture of Korra, Bolin, and the other man.

Asami pointed at the man in the police uniform and asked hesitantly, “Is that… Detective Mako of the Republic City Police force?”

Korra furrowed her brow at Asami, “Yeah. Why? Do you know him?”

“Yes, I know him, or... knew him. We used to date off-and-on several years ago.” Asami sighed and covered her face with one hand, pinching the bridge of her nose and cringing at the memories.

Bolin jumped up from the floor in front of the fireplace, neglecting to actually start the fire. “Wait, WHAT?! You dated my brother?!”

Asami removed her hand from her face and turned to face Bolin. “Mako is your brother? And yes, we briefly dated a couple of times. We met a few years ago when he was working security for my father. We dated for almost a month and then he left me for another woman... just to break up with her seven months later and come back to me. He then left me again a week later for the same woman when they, and I quote, 'made amends'. According to a few of the other guys on the security detail, that woman broke it off with him less than a week later; apparently the reconciliation didn't exactly pan out. Anyway, I haven’t spoken to him since.” Asami raised her eyebrows at Bolin as she finished speaking; he looked like he’d simultaneously been punched in the gut and seen a ghost as his eyes darted to Korra. 

Her eyes followed Bolin's lead and flicked over to Korra, too.

Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to expect exactly, but it certainly wasn't the myriad of different emotions that played across the tan woman's face: shock, fear, sadness, shame, and, finally, a mix of anger and guilt.

The azure-eyed woman’s skin was flushed from her chest up, her fists balled, nostrils flared, jaw clenched, and her lips pressed into a thin line… but she wouldn’t meet Asami’s gaze.

“Okay, what the hell is going on?” Asami crossed her arms over her chest and glared back and forth between the two of them, waiting for some kind of explanation.

When no explanation seemed to be forthcoming, she fixed her gaze on Bolin. He fidgeted nervously under her glare for a few seconds before turning around and trying to start the fire again. He fumbled over his words as he tried lighting the stubborn logs, “Well, uh… you see… it’s… um… complicated...” His words trailed off as he finally managed to get a small fire started, instead concentrating on keeping it lit. Several tense seconds passed as she waited for him to continue.

“I was the other girl.” spat Korra, breaking the silence.

Asami’s mouth dropped open as she looked at Korra, “What?”

“I said... 'I was the other girl'.” Korra closed her eyes, breathing out through her nose heavily, unclenching her fists, and letting go of her anger, “I was the fool that fell for Mako’s bullshit... I didn’t know he was seeing someone else… I was naïve and smitten and my ignorance ended up hurting you.” Korra rubbed her face in both her hands and slumped forward some, mumbling, “I’m really sorry."

After a few stunned seconds, Asami burst out laughing, causing the tan woman to jerk upright and stare at her in confusion. 

The confusion apparently passed quickly, though, and — without even looking — Asami could tell Korra had tensed up again in rage, “What’s so fucking funny?”

Asami sobered some in the face of Korra’s rage, but couldn’t stop grinning completely. “I’m sorry. I just can’t get over the irony. I mean, here I am, standing in the home of the woman who Mako left me for twice… and, not only is she apologizing to me for the pain that he caused, in less than two hours, I’ve had more fun getting to know her than I ever had with him."

Asami slowly stopped grinning as she watched Korra’s mouth twitch a little bit, her nostrils flaring. _’Shit. She doesn’t think this is funny. Apologize to her!'_ and then suddenly, the azure-eyed woman burst out laughing. “This is so messed up.”

“Tell me about it.” Asami couldn’t help but join in on the laughter again, relishing the infectious nature of Korra’s laugh and the ridiculousness of the whole situation. _‘I’m all hot and bothered for the girl I used to curse for stealing Mako from me. Good to know the Spirits have a sense of humor.'_

Bolin straightened up and stared at the two women in shock, completely at a loss as to what just happened. “So… um… now I’m confused… You guys aren’t mad at each other?”

Asami and Korra both shook their heads as they continued to laugh, both clutching their sides. Bolin continued to stand there, dumbfounded, until Korra’s laugh infected him, too, and he joined in on the merriment.

After a few minutes of laughing, they all managed to calm down and Asami looked into those azure eyes trying to convey the complete sincerity of her words, “Korra, I’m truly sorry for the pain I caused you through him. Now that I’ve met you, I get it. I get why Mako chose you — you’re incredible. He was a fucking idiot for giving up on you and I’m so glad I came into the shop tonight. I hope we can move past this because I really want to get to know you.”

Korra beamed as she got her laughter under control and put her hand on Asami’s upper arm, “I’m glad you came into the shop tonight, too. All is forgiven; the past is the past and there's no use wallowing in it when our futures are still ahead of us. And you’re right, Mako is a fucking idiot — for so many reasons — but I’ve got to give him credit; he sure knows how to find amazing women, huh?”

Asami chuckled as Korra winked at her, smiling softly and giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. Asami smiled softly in return, “You got that right."

She’s not sure what possessed her to do it in that moment, but Asami reached out towards Korra’s face, cupping the woman’s cheek and softly rubbing her thumb back and forth. _‘Her skin is so soft…'_ Her eyes dropped to Korra’s lips as she leaned in towards the other woman.

The tan woman’s hand moved from Asami's arm to her neck as azure eyes locked onto Asami’s red lips, each woman pulling the other in closer as both of them closed their eyes...

"SHIT!"

The moment was shattered as Bolin tripped while trying to make a sneaky exit to the kitchen.

Their eyes flew open as both women dropped their hands in embarrassment and straightened up. Both of them blushed wildly and looked at anything but each other.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Bolin put both of his hands up in guilty surrender. He noticed both of the women's embarrassment and tried to smooth things over, “How about some tea? Or, better yet, alcohol?"

—

“Great idea!” Korra practically sprinted towards the kitchen, shooting a quick glance back at the still blushing Asami as she flicked on the kitchen lights. _‘This just keeps getting more and more messed up. Your first lay in over a year and it's going to be Mako's ex? Pfft. They could make an Ember Island Players play out of this shit.’_

She caught sight of the clock on the wall as she made her way to the liquor cabinet. _’12:47 AM… Ugh, the others will be expecting me soon. Let's just get this over with.’_ She opened up the cabinet and started pulling out various bottles and some shot glasses.

She heard Bolin come into the kitchen behind her, gently laying his hand on her shoulder and speaking quietly, “Korra, don’t go out tonight... please? This storm should keep things calm and the others can deal with whatever comes up. Take a break, relax, and just enjoy tonight. Don’t mess this up with Asami and make this just a fling; I think she could be really good for you if you gave her a chance.”

And just like that, his hand was gone and he was in front of the fridge, opening it up and calling over his shoulder, “Hey Asami, what kind of food do you like when you’re drunk?”

Korra frowned slightly in thought as she focused on pouring a mixed shot for everyone. _‘I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay home for one night... I trust Opal can handle things and if something big happens, they’ll call. And what was all that ‘messing it up with Asami’ shit about? She’s only a one-nighter and I've made it very clear to Bo that I'm not interested in a relationship.'_  She sighed to herself. _‘Though, I guess I would kind of like to get to know her… she seems really cool and does genuinely seem to want to be friends…'_

She was so lost in thought that her heart skipped a beat when Asami’s reply came from right behind them, a smile in her voice, “I’ll eat anything you make; I have no doubt you’ll blow away my drunken tastebuds with whatever you decide to fix up.”

 _‘Shit. She’s a quiet walker.’_ Korra turned around, handing a glass to Asami and then Bolin.

“Good answer. Bo, take this then get to creating — I’m hungry.” She clinked her glass to each of theirs, “Cheers."

“Wait.”

Korra froze with her glass to her lips when Asami spoke. She raised her eyebrow questioningly at the pale-skinned woman and watched as the heiress sniffed her glass, “What exactly is this…?”

Korra opened her mouth to answer her but Bolin interjected, “Don’t ask, just drink.”

He knocked back his glass and howled as the liquid burned his insides, “Man, you still know how to pour a mean drink.” He set his glass down on the counter with a shiver and started getting to work on their late-night snack.

Korra smiled and tipped back her own drink, scrunching up her face and groaning as the alcohol slid down her throat like liquid fire. She shivered, too, as it quickly settled in her stomach, “Come on, Asami. You’ll love it — I promise.” She gave a little wink of encouragement to the heiress before setting her glass down.

— 

 _‘What the hell — why not? She was right about the 'bo' sauce, so I'm sure she's right about this.’_ Asami shrugged at Korra and drank the contents of the small glass, coughing and sputtering as the liquid made its deliciously scorching way down her throat.

Bolin thumped her on the back as she struggled to speak through her coughing fit, “Wh… what… what the fu… fuck was that?”

Bolin and Korra both laughed at her as Korra took Asami’s glass back.

She watched as Korra poured another round of the drink, “It’s a little invention of my own. It’s a mix of Southern Tribe Polar gin, Nation Volcano rum, Kingdom Landslide sake, Nomad Wind whiskey, and Spirit vodka. Bolin thought it should be named, ‘The United Nations’ but since I invented it, I got to pick the official name and I decided on, ’The Avatar’. We have a self-imposed three shot limit on it.”

Bolin nods and takes his refilled glass from the Southern woman. Asami pensively accepts the glass being handed to her.

“Why three shots?” asked Asami as she clinked her glass with the others’ glasses, knocking it back as the other two took their shots. They all let out a collective groan and shiver.

Asami got a chill down her spine (not from the alcohol) as Korra gave her a devilish smirk. _‘Uh-oh.’_

She could feel the alcohol quickly taking effect as Korra fixed them each their final shot, the tan woman’s only response being, “You’ll see.”

_‘Down the hatch.'_


	3. Which Led to Talking...

Asami's world swayed alarmingly as she stumbled to the counter to set down her shot glass. _'Holy Mother of Spirits. I get why there's a limit now...'_ She leaned heavily against the stable surface and hung her head down to try and make the world stop spinning so fast.

She shivered slightly as she felt Korra's hand on her lower back, a little giddy knot of pleasure forming in her stomach, "Are you okay?"

"Of course — I was just not expecting to be this... well, drunk." Giggling, Asami turned around to face Korra, causing the other woman's hand to fall away from her. She leaned back seductively against the counter, her loose tank top slightly askew and low-hanging. Jade eyes drank in the sight of the mocha-skinned woman in front of her as she bit her bottom lip.

"Maybe we should go sit down in the living room so we're out of Bolin's way?" Korra's eyes sparkled mischievously as she gave her low-hanging tank an appreciative once-over, offering her hand out to Asami. She took the warm, calloused hand in her own and pulled herself away from the counter with it.

Asami pointed forward with her free hand, moving towards the living room as she gestured, "Onward, Captain!" 

Korra burst out laughing and Bolin chuckled while slicing something (Asami couldn't see what) on the counter, "Actually, Asami, it's technically Admiral."

Korra immediately stopped laughing and he froze as the words left his mouth.

Several things clicked into place for Asami at that moment as she jerked to a stop. _'No... it can't be.'_  Her eyes worked their way up from the calloused hand cupped in hers to the lightly scarred, tan flesh of the azure-eyed woman's bare forearm... all the way up the cream-colored sleeve until they finally reached the face of the woman in front of her. It didn't take much imagination for her to picture Korra in Southern Tribe battledress and wolf-tails; she'd seen enough photos of such splashed across the front pages of various newspapers for years.  _'It is her... How did you not realize this?!' _

She inhaled sharply, "Holy shit. Admiral Korra?"

Korra gave her a tight smile, "At your service."

Bolin was facing them now, a mortified expression on his face, "Korra... I am so sorry! It just slipped out!"

Korra grimaced tightly at him, "It's fine, Sergeant." 

He and Asami both flinched at the Southern woman's cold and curt response.

 _'Think, Asami! Calm her down.'_ The tension rolling off of the rigid tribal woman was palpable and Asami could sense that Korra was struggling with more emotions than she was letting show. She had to swallow a groan of pain as part of that tension manifested itself in how hard Korra was squeezing her hand. She was losing feeling in her fingers quickly from the vice-like grip but she didn't care.

Ignoring the pain, she rubbed her thumb in circles over Korra's knuckles to try and soothe her. She spoke softly, "Korra, what's wrong? Why is this such a big deal? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable by my reaction; I was just surprised that I hadn't realized it on my own earlier." That seemed to calm Korra some.

Her grip and body relaxed (but not completely) and her azure eyes locked onto Asami's, "It's not a big deal to you who I am?"

Asami continued rubbing Korra's knuckles with her thumb, "No, why would it be? I mean, I know of you and what you've done for the world — and I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly in awe — but I'm not going to treat you any differently because of it; you're still a normal person. Let me ask you this: is it not a big deal to you who I am?"

Korra's eyes flicked away, "Well... no..."

She paused briefly before looking back at Asami, contrition in her eyes, "I'm sorry I reacted so poorly. I just snapped when you said, 'Holy shit'; I thought you were going to do what everyone else does and start... 'fawning'... over me and I shouldn't have assumed that. I guess I'm not used to people being cavalier when they meet me. Typically, every conversation ends up with people begging me to tell them war stories, give them advice, fix their problems, and so on. They glorify my life unnecessarily and refuse to treat me like a real person. I couldn't and can't deal with it anymore... that's why Bo and I moved out here when we left our respective militaries. No one bothers us and I can try and live a normal life without everyone trying to put the weight of the world on my shoulders." There was so much spoken and unspoken pain clouding Korra's striking eyes as she explained.

She suspected that there was more to Korra's suffering than what she said, but Asami knew better than to pry. She had read all the articles about the Admiral and, though the papers undoubtedly glossed over it, Korra's victories were often very hard-won and very costly to the woman. _'Everyone has skeletons in their closet.'_

So, to move past the moment, she pulled the beautiful woman into a tight hug and wrapped her arms around Korra's neck. "Believe me, I can relate. I absolutely know the feeling of not being treated like a real person. People don't actually want to know me; they just want to saddle me with incredibly high expectations and use me to get in with my father and the company. The worst part of it all is that no one ever asks me how I'm doing and genuinely cares to know the answer; I just don't matter to them as a person. But you know what I tell myself?"

Korra wrapped her arms around Asami's waist a little tighter, her response muffled by Asami's shoulder, "No. What?"

She pulled back from Korra some and lowered her head to catch the azure-eyed woman's gaze, "Fuck them. I'm better than they'll ever know and they don't deserve my time."

That got Korra to chuckle a little bit, "Thanks, Asami. I'll have to keep that in mind."

Asami grinned at her lightly, "Please do."

They got lost in each others' eyes as the distance between their lips lessened and she tightened her hold around Korra's neck. Her eyes closed in bliss as their lips finally met in a soft kiss.

—

Wolf-whistling broke them apart as both of them turned to glare at Bolin. "Whaaat? You can't blame a guy for enjoying the view. Also, the food is ready."

Korra snorted as she broke free of Asami's embrace, "About damn time, asshole. What'd you make?" She slipped her arm around the heiress' slender waist and guided the woman over to the pot of food.

"Just some ramen with a little bit of Bolin love." He ladled the ramen into three separate bowls, handing one to each woman.

Korra grinned, her arm still around Asami, as the woman took a big whiff, "Mmm. Smells delicious, Bolin — thanks!"

Bolin grinned wide and winked, "My pleasure, Ms. Sato." That got a small sigh of amused resignation and an eye roll out of the engineer.

Korra gave Asami's waist a little squeeze, "Hey, why don't you head into the living room and start eating? I need to talk to Bo for a moment."

The woman gave her a questioning look but nodded and carefully carried her bowl out towards the living room. Korra watched in amazement at the fluidity and gracefulness of the jade-eyed beauty. _'That is so unfair. You can hardly tell the woman is drunk as a skunk-possum.'_

She turned her attention back to Bolin, who was standing there sheepishly, avoiding her eyes.

"I am really sorry, Kor. It's been so long since the past has come up that I kind of forgot how it bothers you when people know who you are."

She wrapped her arms around the big guy's waist, "It's okay, Bo — I'm sorry I was being a stand-offish ass. I was just afraid Asami was going to react like everyone else..."

He returned her embrace and murmured, "Apology accepted. I'm glad she took it well."

"I am, too." She squeezed him and her voice shook slightly, "I don't know what it is, but she's different than the others. All it took for her to calm me down was a few words and her rubbing her thumb on my knuckles..."

Thinking about Asami calming her made her mind segue to the reasons why she needed the comfort in the first place...

And she broke.

 

_Her squad lay scattered around her, all of them dead or dying, as more and more 'Equalists' surrounded her. She fought as hard as she could; taking down wave after wave of attackers with her chain whip and limbs... but she was only one person._

_Bodies pressed in on her and gloved fists flew. Her whole body screamed in protest as a quick succession of jabs to pressure points in her back caused her entire body to go limp._

_She crumpled face first onto the ground._

_She felt someone remove the chain whip from her hand and the kukri from the sheath on her hip as her vision rapidly faded to black._

_She was jerked back to consciousness as a chi blocker she couldn't see grabbed her roughly by the ponytail and dragged her into a kneeling position. He or she held her upright by her hair as Amon appeared out of the darkness, his mask leering at her menacingly. "So, you're the 'young commander who will save the world' that I've been hearing so much about." The pressure on her hair disappeared as his hand wrapped around her throat, forcing her chin up, "I can't say I'm impressed. I expected more from the 'prodigy' sent to undermine my coup."_

_His grip tightened and her air was cut off as he leaned in closer, "I will give you this, though: you are quite beautiful. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee that will be the case after tonight..."_

_She was shoved backwards onto her back like a turtle duck, coughing and gasping for air as Amon stepped back, "Have at her, boys."_

 

A violent chill ran down her spine and she choked back bile as she buried her face in Bolin's chest. Her voice was a small whisper as she clung to him harder, "It wasn't just that, though... it wasn't just her reaction..."

 

 _She strained against the heavy chains that splayed her out and suspended her from the ceiling, her toes only a few inches off the ground. She yelled in fury, "I will kill you! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!!" Th_ _e little rag-tag group in front of her just stared passively at her, ignoring her threats._

_She struggled harder as two hooded men approached her with a large wicker basket between them. She broke out into a cold sweat and started hyperventilating as the men opened the lid and she saw what was inside: an inland taipan snake._

_Her eyes bugged in fear as the men whacked the snake with long sticks, thoroughly enraging it before pinning its head down. She struggled as hard as she could against her bonds as one of the men draped the snake around her shoulders._

_The second he let go of its head, it lashed out and sunk its fangs into the taut flesh of her bicep. She screamed and thrashed, shaking the snake off before it could bite her again._

_But the damage was done and she felt the poison spreading throughout her bloodstream, igniting her whole body in a pain she could never have imagined possible._

_Blinding._

_Crippling._

_Pain._

_Zaheer stood in front of her and sneered as she screamed and writhed in excruciating agony, "You are weak, Admiral; unworthy of your title and reputation. You could not protect your friends and you could not protect those in your charge. You were supposedly the best warrior the world had to offer and look how easily you fell. I cannot begin to imagine the shame you must feel. Fear not, though; you won't be around much longer to live with it, and know that, with your death, I shall bring forth an age of chaos and start the world anew."_

 

She shivered in his arms at the unwelcome and terrifying memories, heart hurting and sobbing uncontrollably, "I'm not doing as well as we thought, Bo... I've barely been able to keep it together. I've been lying to myself and you, pretending like everything has been fine. The past... those men, what they did... It still hurts so fucking much."

He rested his head on hers, "Korra, you're the strongest person I know and you will get through this — we will get through this. I am always here for you." She hiccuped as he pressed a soft kiss to her hair, "Like I said earlier, don't mess this up with Asami. I have this gut feeling she could really, truly be good for you; like she's the answer to this mess. I am begging you to please not make this just a one-night thing with her." She nodded into his chest but didn't answer him.

They stood like that for several minutes as Bolin ran a hand softly up and down her back. Finally, she was reaching the point where she had cried herself out.  _'Okay, now pull it all together, Korra.'_

She squeezed him one last time and, sniffling, pulled back from their embrace, "Come on." She wiped her face off and blew her nose quickly.

She ruminated on the fact that alcohol was a double-edged sword for her: sometimes it helped her escape her demons and sometimes it brought them screaming after her. Apparently, tonight was a night of the latter.

She combed her fingers through her hair once before taking her bowl and heading towards the living room, Bolin following close behind her, ever her watchful shadow.  _'I hope Asami doesn't notice I've been crying.'_

The thought (and the pain) was more-or-less forgotten, though, as she crossed the threshold into the living room and her eyes automatically locked onto Asami. She told herself that the only reason her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest was because of the alcohol and her meltdown, and that it had nothing to do with the gorgeous woman sitting in front of her... _'Pfft. Right.'_

—

Asami was just finishing her bowl of ramen when the other two came into the living room. She drank the last of the broth and set her bowl down on the coffee table before reclining back into the couch cushions, licking her lips.

Bolin's mouth dropped open, "Are you already done eating?"

She grinned at him bashfully, "Um... yup. It was kind of too good to put down."

He returned her grin with a big goofy grin of his own as he settled himself on the floor in front of the fireplace, "I'm glad you like my food so much!"

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you she has a healthy appetite. At least she managed to keep herself a little cleaner this time." teased the Southern woman as she sauntered over to the couch and plopped down next to Asami.

Confusion and concern welled in Asami's chest as she noticed how puffy and bloodshot the woman's clear, azure eyes had become. _'She's been crying? Why has she been crying?'_  

An awkward silence was slowly settling over them as she realized that the other two were waiting for a response to Korra's quip. She tactfully opted to chuckle at the ribbing instead of questioning Korra's emotional state, "Oh, fuck you, Korra."

"Only if I can fuck you first." 

Heat radiated out from Asami's core and all over her body as she tensed and clenched involuntarily, thoroughly excited by the bluntness of Korra's words. _'Well, apparently we're back to this again.'_

Bolin cleared his throat, " _Eh-hem_. I'd appreciate it if you two could keep the sexual tension to a minimum while I'm eating here, please."

Asami smirked at him slightly and stretched out on the couch, attempting to relax (a difficult task considering the nearness of the Southern warrior), "Fine. Why don't you tell me how you two met, then?"

—

Five minutes later, Asami's feet had somehow ended up in Korra's lap as she regaled Asami with the story of how she and Bolin met.

“…So, there I was — standing in a pair of borrowed pants that were falling apart, a shirt two sizes too large, barefoot with my hair loose… apparently making me completely unrecognizable — arguing with this cranky United Republic Armed Forces sergeant... I think Toza was his name... or was it Tazo? I can’t remember… Regardless, I’m standing there, arguing with him about getting into the world leader summit that was underway, trying to convince him to unlock the doors. I told him over and over that I was the new Southern Tribe military liaison but he stubbornly refused to let me in, even after I showed him my officer’s brand. He shoved me away when I tried making a grab for his keys, shouting, ‘Get out of here, you fucking tribal whore! You and that fake brand of yours won't be getting into this building!’ I'm not proud to say that I snapped and leapt at him, grabbed him by his jacket, lifted him into the air, and pinned him to the wall. By this time, though, additional security had begun to show up — that big lug over there leading the charge — because they had heard the yelling and I couldn’t continue to ‘convince’ him to let me in.” Korra gestured at Bolin, laughing.

The mocha-skinned woman began to rub Asami's calves and feet, as Bolin took over the story. _'Heavens that feels good...'_

“When I saw her, I thought she was a homeless person that was freaking out on some bad drugs. I couldn’t believe how strong she was… Toza was a huge man and she held him pinned to the wall like he weighed no more than a doll. Not to mention, she looked absolutely crazy, standing there in tattered and mismatched clothing; I kept approaching her, though, despite the voice in my head yelling, 'Run the hell away!'. She was so worked up that I was terrified she was going to lash out at me when I tried to take her into custody. I was one-hundred percent sure she could have kicked mine and anyone else's asses if she wanted to, but, when I got right next to her, she put him down and let him go. She stuck out her wrists and didn't even flinch when I handcuffed her, which was when I started doubting she was a drug-addled homeless person... Anyway, we had made it about five hundred feet away from the doors when the world leaders' meeting let out…” he put his bowl down on the hearth and stretched, yawning loudly, before laying flat on his back.

Asami listened to the story and watched Korra's animated face as she spoke, taking note of all the subtle changes as the tribal woman relaxed, “I stopped in my tracks when they started filing out and calmly said to Bo, ‘You can still save face if you let me out of these handcuffs right now — I might even be able to get you a promotion. However, should you not let me go, I can guarantee it won’t be pretty for any of you, Corporal.’ He looked so flabbergasted, I’m surprised he was even able to move. To this day, I’m still not entirely sure why he let me go but, after a few seconds’ hesitation, he did and I said, ‘Smart move. Come with me.’; just like that, I was free and he was following me back toward the doors. When Toza saw me walking un-cuffed towards the leaders, I thought the guy was going to burst a blood vessel he was so mad. He started screaming obscenities at me and Bolin, which caused the leaders to actually pay attention to us. He told me to freeze where I stood and when I didn’t, he charged me. I just side-stepped his punch and tripped him on the way and kept walking up to the leaders. The other security members were too stunned at how easily their commanding officer fell to do anything about stopping me.” 

Bolin laughed and Asami tilted her head some to look at him, “Something about the confidence in how you moved and spoke made me believe you. And It was so difficult not to laugh at Toza when you tripped him. You have no idea how much of a self-serving prick that guy was. I’m pretty positive all the other soldiers were cheering you on in their heads.”

Asami giggled a little and switched her attention back to Korra as she began to speak again, “Ha! Well, I’m glad he got what he deserved… Anyway, all the leaders had stopped by then. I walked right up to them, stopping directly in front of the chief of the Southern Tribe, and bowed, saying, ‘I apologize for my absence in today’s meeting. My entire wardrobe for this trip decided to leave me and take a stroll with some people I met last night and the sergeant laying down on the job over there didn’t seem to have a very open mind when it came to this meeting’s dress code.’”

“Asami, you should have seen the look on the leaders’ faces when Korra said that. Every one of them had this blank look on their face while they tried to figure out who she was and if she was being serious or not… everyone except the Southern chief, that is. He just roared with laughter and pulled Korra into the most bone-crushing bear hug I’d ever seen. Needless to say, we were all beyond confused. When the chief let her go, he just looked at us and shrugged; all he had to say was, ‘What? Never seen a man hug his daughter before?’ You could see everyones’ faces change in a strange ripple effect as comprehension dawned on them. My thought process — and I’m pretty sure everyone else’s — went something like this, ‘hot-headed and intimidating... young and unpredictable... a distinct air of authority... daughter of Chief Tonraq… Holy shit. Holy. Shit. This is Commander Korra?!’ — she hadn't been promoted to Admiral, yet — and my suspicion was confirmed when General Iroh (II) stepped forward, smiling, and bowed, saying, 'Commander Korra, always an extreme pleasure. I’m sure one of my men can, uh… ‘chase down’ your wandering wardrobe, if you wish. Or, at the very least, find something to replace it.’ My jaw about hit the floor when she kissed him, laughing, 'That would be wonderful, General. Thank you.'. The General was rooted to the spot in surprise, I was starstruck, and the whole situation was beyond bizarre. After that little exchange, though, we all ended up kneeling down and bowing to her out of respect. I mean, it's not everyday you get to meet the princess who ended the Civil War between the Southern and Northern tribes.” Bolin yawned again and closed his eyes.

Korra scoffed, “I'm not a princess. Just because my dad is the elected Chief, doesn't mean I'm the hereditary successor and you know it. But whatever happened to that kind of respect?”

Bolin chuckled with his eyes closed, “Whatever you say, Korra. And I got to know you,” his next words mumbled sleepily, “that’s what happened…” he yawned even bigger this time and curled up in the fetal position, his back to the women.

Asami giggled and sat upright, the world making slow loops from the mixture of alcohol and movement, "What happened to that sergeant? And why'd you kiss General Iroh?"

Korra looked over at her, "No idea what happened to that bum and as for the kiss... well, he and I have a history of sorts. You have to understand that when I was a child, the White Lotus showed up at our house and said that I had shown signs of being "special" and they believed that I had the potential to be some "great force of good to unite the world"... and when the White Lotus calls, you answer, whether you want to or not. They whisked me away to a military compound designed specifically for me where I lived and trained from the ages of four to seventeen. They completely isolated me from everyone but old White Lotus members and a few other masters such as Councilman Tenzin to limit my 'distractions'. I ended up being pretty, uh... 'sexually frustrated' by the time I got to actually be around people my own age, and when the Civil War broke out, General Iroh acted as a military consultant to our navy. Needless to say, he was in the right place at the right time and we became 'friends with benefits' for lack of a better term. He wasn't the only one, either: men, women, it didn't matter. I was brash, stupid, and needy — I had a bit of a reputation by the age of twenty... To this day, Mako is still the only person I've ever actually been in a relationship with and look how well that turned out."

Asami repositioned herself so she was facing Korra, kneeling on the couch. She softly placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder, “That sounds completely awful. I couldn't imagine how lonely your childhood must have been and how confusing those first years outside the compound were..."

She smiled softly as the tan woman rested her hand on Asami’s pale one, whispering, “It was lonely — very lonely. I did get to spend some time with my parents, though. For two months out of the year, they were allowed to live in the compound with me. But I missed out on a lot of milestones and mistakes growing up. I had a lot to catch up on those first few years outside... and I still do." That mischievous sparkle returned to Korra's eyes, "I have a reputation to uphold, after all.”

Asami's smile slipped and her heart raced as Korra smirked up at her and winked.

—

Korra removed the pale woman’s hand from her shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to the her palm, still smirking at her as the heiress bit her luscious, rouge lip. _‘Mmm...'_

She pressed another soft kiss to the inside of the jade-eyed woman's wrist, then leaned in a bit and placed a third soft kiss in the crook of her alabaster elbow. Korra draped Asami’s arm over her shoulder as she leaned in some more and placed the next kiss where her neck and shoulder joined.

She slid both her hands up the heiress’ leather clad legs, nipping lightly at her exposed collarbone. When her hands reached the inventor’s hips, she pulled Asami into her, eliciting a little hum. Long, pale fingers curled into her dark chocolate hair as Korra trailed feather-light kisses up the woman's soft, pale neck; the last kiss pressed to the delicate milky skin where ear, jaw, and neck meet.

She groaned in protest when Asami pulled on her hair, forcing her head back several inches. Her sounds of protest were quickly silenced, however, as the industrialist’s daughter crawled onto her and straddled her hips. Her breathing shallowed as the woman settled on top of her and rested her free hand on Korra’s cheek, leaning in close to kiss her cognac lips.

Korra pulled back a fraction, her lips brushing lightly against Asami's as she whispered, "Well, hi there... how're you doing?"

“Mmm… I’m doing pretty well right now, thanks for asking.” Asami whispered back, her eyes fluttering shut as Korra teased her lips with their closeness. She gently squeezed Asami’s hips as she closed the gap again, kissing the heiress softly.

Asami responded to her kiss by wrapping her pale arm around Korra’s neck, twisting the fingers of her other hand even more into her dark chocolate hair and pressing her lean body flush to Korra's, deepening the kiss.

Korra’s hand wandered lazily under the beauty’s tank top and up her back as she pulled Asami in tighter. She gently raked her nails down alabaster skin as the engineer broke apart their lips to trail kisses up Korra's jaw to her ear. Korra groaned quietly and bucked her hips slightly when Asami bit her ear lobe like she had at the shop. _‘She’s going to drive me crazy if she keeps doing that...'_

They both froze in place when a snore rang through the room, the sound coming from by the fireplace. _‘Fuck. I forgot about him.’_

Asami started to giggle quietly in Korra’s ear, tickling Korra and making her skin rise with goosebumps. The pale woman untangled her fingers from Korra’s hair and slowly ran both hands all the way down the arms wrapped around her hips. Asami whispered seductively in her ear, “Shall we 'uphold your reputation' somewhere else…?"

Korra moved both her hands to the heiress’ sides, pushing Asami off of her lap, and teased, “I thought you’d never ask.”

—

Asami stood up a bit too quickly, making her light-headed and causing her to stumble, but Korra’s strong hands kept her from falling.

“Whoa there, light-weight.” laughed Korra. The tan woman stood up as well, still holding onto Asami’s sides to keep her steady.

Asami stepped back from Korra and out of her grip, taking care not to trip on the coffee table behind her, “I am not a light-weight. You are just ridiculously tolerant to unholy amounts of alcohol.”

Korra shrugged and smiled, “True.”

Asami began to walk backwards towards the shoji doors, beckoning Korra to come with her. The azure-eyed woman’s smile disappeared as she followed Asami with a hungry look in her eyes, catching up to her just outside the doors.

Korra grabbed her hips and Asami lost her breath when she was lifted into the air and pressed into the doorframe. _'Shit, Bolin wasn't kidding: she is crazy strong.'_

She instinctually wrapped her legs around Korra’s waist and held onto the doorframe with one hand as the tan woman pressed into her, kissing her chest and neck. She ran her other hand through Korra’s hair and moaned as teeth sank into her shoulder. She moved her hand from the doorframe to the door and shoved it open. She leaned forward into Korra’s body and whispered in her ear, "Bedroom. Now."

Asami was dragged away from the doorframe as Korra stepped into the room. She moaned softly into Korra's mouth as the tribal woman gripped her ass with one hand, using the other to slide the door shut, their lips never breaking apart.

 

Neither of them noticed the smug grin plastered on Bolin’s face as the door slid closed with a click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this chapter was rough. I'm sorry for that. I've been writing it really late at night and I kept changing my mind as to how angsty I wanted to make it and how much info I wanted to give you.
> 
> Anyway, I wanted to show how fragile Korra is (obviously suffering from PTSD) and her relationship to Bo and how he's kind of her caretaker in this universe. 
> 
> I also decided to make the Civil War happen before the Equalist uprising; it just fit my story a little better. So, a little background: Korra successfully lead the South to victory over the North and her manipulative Uncle Unalaq at the age of 19. This allowed the South to secede and become independent and gains her world attention as a capable military leader, prompting a military liaison position of sorts to be created for her in the United Republic. She moves to Republic City for her position and that's how she meets Bolin then subsequently Mako. The meeting she missed when she met Bolin was in regards to the growing rumblings of the "Equalist revolution".


	4. Which Led to Mind-Blowing Sex...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, y'all. Here's some long, hardcore smut and sweet fluff to start your year off right.

Korra didn't have to walk very far before she was at the edge of the king-sized bed that took up the vast majority of Bolin and her's tiny bedroom. She bent at the waist and roughly settled the beautiful woman in her arms on the bed, trailing her lips and teeth down the soft, pale flesh of her neck.

She wanted — no,  _needed_ — more.

She brushed her fingers over every inch of Asami's body that she had longed to touch all night — hips, thighs, arms, sides... everywhere but the places that she knew the heiress really wanted her to touch — all the while ravaging the woman's shoulders, neck, and lips with soft-then-hard kisses and love bites. The engineer's soft moans and little gasps did nothing to tame the carnal desire raging just below her navel and the wetness gathering between her legs.  _'Mmm... yeah. It's been way too long, Korra.'_

She was still standing by the bed (bent at the waist), licking a hot trail up the inventor's neck, when she felt Asami's toned legs fall from around her. She paused in confusion with her tongue halfway between Asami's shoulder and ear, the pause met by the woman sitting up and shoving Korra upright and away from her.

Korra took a few steps back with her hands up in a placating manner, "Whoa, Asami. What's wrong?"

—

Asami stood up and quickly shed her racy crimson bra and tank top in one motion, and her black leather jodhpurs, crimson lace thong, and socks in a second (setting a new personal best when it came to how fast she could get out of her clothing).

As she straightened from sliding her pants and thong down her thighs, she flipped her raven hair over her shoulder and bit her swollen lip. Kicking the clothes off her ankles, she rested her fingers on the first clasped button of Korra's tunic; her voice was husky with desire as she leaned in close, "You want to know what's wrong? You're wearing too much clothing."

She covered Korra's lips with her own as she quickly began unbuttoning the woman's tunic, pulling it unceremoniously out of the waistband of her navy blue jodhpurs. The soft moan in her mouth from Korra made her move her fingers more fervently; she was determined to rid the troublesome clothing separating their flesh. Finally, the shirt fell open and she pushed it off of Korra's shoulders before running her hands down tan, muscled back, searching for the bra clasp.

Her fingers fumbled at the clasp and her lips stopped moving as mocha hands cupped her sensitive breasts. _'Fuck. Focus, Sato. Focus.'_ She redoubled her efforts at the clasp and managed to unlatch it. The garment sprang apart and her hands quickly moved to Korra's heavy, succulent breasts to mirror the other woman.

They each kneaded the other's breasts, tweaking tender nipples into hardness; hot breath mingled as their lips crashed together and broke apart over and over. Soft moans and heavy panting were interchangeable, and neither of them were entirely sure who was making what noise at any given point in time.

The wetness slowly sliding down Asami's inner thigh brought the fact that Korra still had clothing on immediately back to the forefront of her mind. Again, she shoved the other woman away roughly, dragging the bra off of her muscular arms before pulling the gorgeous soldier back to her by her pants' waistband.

She wasn't usually into being rough. To her, rough passion always felt like one person trying to assert dominance over another instead of two people pleasuring each other; she hated the feeling of 'conquering' and/or 'being conquered'. Apparently such reservations went out the window with Korra, though...  _'I can't get enough.'_

Strong hands weaved their way into her hair and held her in place as she bit the junction of Korra's shoulder and neck. The soft moan that escaped the tribal woman's lips was all the motivation Asami needed to unbutton the navy jodhpurs and shove her hand into the tight pants. _'Ugh... she's so wet already...'_ Her jaw tightened some, forcing her teeth further into Korra's skin, as she rubbed her fingers over the moisture that had seeped into the cloth underwear. 

Asami swirled her fingers over the wet fabric for several strokes before releasing her bite and kissing the mark tenderly. She continued to press feather-light kisses to the surrounding flesh as she pulled her hand back out and pushed the pants — and the accompanying underwear — down Korra's brawny thighs. Her lips worked their way down Korra's scarred chest and torso as her hands moved down, her exploration stopping as she felt gravity take over on the clothing.

Asami straightened up and kissed Korra passionately as the other woman kicked her clothing off, her mocha hands still knotted in her thick, raven hair.

Their lips broke apart as Asami pushed Korra back, yet again, albeit gently this time, "Give me a moment. I want to appreciate the treat I just got to unwrap."

Korra just chuckled at her and let her hands drop to her sides, "What do you think now that you've finished the unwrapping?"

Truthfully, the first thing that Asami felt as she got a proper look at Korra's body and all the scars was savage, gut-wrenching revulsion. The abhorrence she felt wasn't towards the scars themselves and definitely not towards Korra's perfectly-sculpted and glorious body, but towards the history of how she had gotten the scars.

Just from the few articles she'd read, Asami knew that Korra had been through hell and back several times: she'd been severely wounded on the battlefield on multiple occasions during the Northern-Southern Civil War, brutally tortured (and, some speculated, violated) by Amon and his Equalist henchmen, and, most recently, captured and nearly killed by the psychotic Red Lotus leader Zaheer... the attempted execution crippling her for a handful of years. _  
_

The longer she looked, though, the more drawn to them she was. _'The overall strength it must have taken to overcome all of this... this woman is indomitable.'_  

It was morbid of her, she knew, but Korra's scars were actually a turn-on... and how she could be anymore turned on than she already was, was beyond her.

"You're disgusted, aren't you?" Korra's tone wasn't hurt or angry, just... sad and tired, as if all of her lovers reacted this way. Her arms crossed over her chest defensively and she stared past Asami, out the large window nestled over the bed to the well-kept zen garden out back with a tall privacy fence. The thunderstorm still raged on in the background, randomly brightening and darkening the room with flashes of lightning.

Asami mentally smacked herself, not realizing how much time she'd spent staring. _'She thinks you're disgusted with her body because you didn't respond to her. Dumbass!'_

She reached out and gently tugged Korra's chin so their eyes met and kissed her briefly, "No, I'm not disgusted. Well... I am, but not at how you look. I'm disgusted by the fact that you're so young and the world has put you through so much already. You never asked for the weight of the world on your shoulders, and yet, you took it regardless. I may not know everything that's happened to you, but I do know you have sacrificed and have been willing to sacrifice so much, just to keep people like me — complete strangers — safe. You are so unbelievably strong... in every sense of the word. And to be completely honest with you, I think your scars are..." she traced her finger lightly over a thin, dark, and ragged crescent-shaped scar on Korra's collarbone, "hot. So incredibly hot."

Korra stiffened in surprise as Asami continued to delicately trace the multitude of scars on the warrior woman's mocha chest and torso (puckered, ragged, smooth... dark and pale... big and small... burns and cuts — the variety in the scars was astounding). _  
_

Korra relaxed some but kept her arms crossed, "You really mean that?"

Asami ran her finger tips curiously over a pale, starburst scar midway up and slightly offset on Korra's ripped stomach and murmured, "Absolutely." Her fingers flowed to the next scar: a smooth, wide, pale scar that started under Korra's last rib and tapered back around her side. She walked slowly around Korra, still following the scar with her finger tips, until she stopped behind her; the scar ended in a delicate, upward tip just below her shoulder blade.

She shuddered in pleasure at the sight of Korra's fit backside. Without her realizing it, Asami's fingers had travelled from the scar and down the hard ridges of muscle that framed Korra's spine to the shallow dip of her lower back, eliciting a whispered, "Asami..." from the woman. The way Korra hungrily whispered her name was a heady and addictive aphrodisiac for her and she needed to hear it again. And again. And again.

Animalistic craving immediately replaced reverential intimacy and she shoved Korra towards the bed; she refused to wait any longer, "Get on the bed. Crawl to the window and kneel with your hands on the glass."

Korra stumbled slightly when she was shoved but didn't question Asami and obliged, crawling onto the bed and kneeling with her hands on the window as instructed.

The devilish smirk Korra threw over her shoulder and the provocative way the warrior arched her back made the little pool of desire below Asami's navel swell and flood her entire body. She quickly crawled onto the bed and pressed her chest flush to the woman's firm backside, wrapping one arm around her waist and snaking the other arm over Korra's shoulder to rest her pale hand next to the dark hand already pressed to the glass. 

Asami's fingers travelled into the curly, chocolate hair of Korra's mound as she bit the woman's tight deltoid muscle where shoulder and arm met. The sensation caused the Southern woman to lean forward and rest her forehead on the cool glass. Asami continued to comb her fingers through her bush, causing Korra to moan softly, "As erotic as it is... why am I against the window and why are you teasing me?"

Her lips wandered up Korra's shoulder and neck to her ear as she gently dragged her nails over the tan woman's outer labia, whispering, "Because I wanted to watch the storm as I made you beg me to fuck you."

That caused Korra to tense in defiance, her voice rising slightly, "I do not beg."

"And I don't hook up with people I just met... yet, here we are." Asami slipped her finger between Korra's slick folds and rubbed her sensitive bundle of nerves teasingly.

The muscles in Korra's neck stood out in sharp relief as the woman tried to bite back the moan crawling up her throat. Asami chuckled softly and rubbed her in large, languid circles, "Come on, Korra... beg."

Korra shuddered but her voice didn't waver as she spat, "Fuck you."

Asami's finger dipped a little lower and teased Korra's opening; her rouge lips pressed against her dark ear, whispering a slightly varied version of Korra's own words from earlier, "Only after I fuck you first. Now, beg."

Guttural whimpering escaped through Korra's swollen, parted lips but she shook her head adamantly, "No."

Just like the desire to take this woman roughly, Asami wasn't sure why she wanted to hear Korra beg so badly, but the undeniable craving was there and she _always_ got what she wanted in the end.

She pushed herself harder against Korra's back and — using her nose under Korra's clenched jaw — nudged the woman's face around to hers. She kissed her softly as she deftly lifted the tribal woman's clitoral hood with her middle finger and pressed on her clit proper, causing the soldier to buck her hips, "Beg."

Cognac lips crashed against rouge once more as Korra rocked her hips against Asami's unmoving finger. After a few moments of fruitless rocking, she pulled back from the kiss some and whispered breathlessly against Asami's lips, "Please, Asami."

Smirking and moving her finger in tight, light circles on Korra's clit, Asami asked in the most innocent voice she could muster, "I'm sorry — what did you say? I couldn't hear you."

Shivers wracked the poor woman's body as her voice rose in pitch and volume, "Please, Ms. Sato. Fuck me. Please, please, please fuck me and don't stop until I come..."

Asami moaned at the desperation in Korra's voice. _'Ohhh... fuck, she's good at begging...'_ She moved her finger slowly in an alternating pattern of circular, up-and-down, and side-to-side motions, trying to find the one the azure-eyed beauty responded to most. She almost gave up on trying to figure it out until a loud moan from the woman told her that the random, erratic motion that she had just used to transition from one style to the next was the one.

She captured Korra's lips in hers once more as she moved her finger quicker against her clit in an unpredictable pattern. The tribal woman was whimpering in her mouth and gyrating her hips as she kissed Asami back.

Korra removed her hand from the window (not the one beside Asami's pale one) and down between her quivering legs and on top of Asami's. Tan, strong fingers wrapped around her wrist and pushed down, urging Asami to move her fingers lower.

Asami succumbed to the mocha beauty's wishes and slid her fingers down to Korra's slick entrance, tormenting her sensitive inner labia. The tan woman's hand shot back up to the glass for support as Asami swirled her fingers at the very edges of her opening.

"Please, Asami... stop teasing and fuck me already..."

An electric bolt of insatiable lust shot through her body from the breathless plea.

She removed her hand from the window and covered the dark, splayed hand beside hers, intertwining their fingers against the fogging glass. She admired the contrast of pale on dark: milk and mocha — yin and yang.

Korra bit Asami's bottom lip gently and tugged, bringing her attention back to the matter at hand and urging her on. She relented, slowly slipping her middle finger deep into the woman's hot center.

Both women moaned in unison as Asami began to leisurely move her finger in and out.

Korra squeezed the fingers intertwined with hers, her voice gruff but insistent, "More."

Asami shivered and slipped her ring finger inside Korra as well, picking up the pace fractionally. The scarred warrior rocked her hips in time with Asami's thrusts, letting out the occasional moan.

Asami kissed Korra's shoulder, neck, ear, throat, jaw, cheek... anything her lips could reach as she pumped her fingers in and out of the woman faster and faster.

The increase in speed had Korra's head falling back on Asami's shoulder, her moaning constant now.

Regrettably, Asami had to slow her fingers to a stop after only a few minutes because her arm was beginning to cramp from the awkward angle, causing Korra to lift her head and growl in frustration.

"Hush, Kor." The quiet command and casual use of Bolin's nickname for her silenced Korra long enough for Asami to adjust. She shifted to the side (opposite of where her hand was tangled with Korra's against the glass) and straddled Korra's calf with her knees, allowing her to reach around the woman's waist better. It also gave her the unexpected opportunity to duck her head under the beautiful woman's outstretched arm so her face was by Korra's dark breast.

She felt Korra shift slightly in anticipation at Asami's new position. The tan woman barely managed to clamp her mouth shut on a scream as Asami took her pert, dusky nipple in her mouth. She sucked, nibbled, and licked Korra's delicious nipple as she began rapidly thrusting her fingers in and out of the now twitching and whimpering woman.

Korra's muscles tensed against her and her walls started contracting around her fingers as desperate gasps of "more", "faster", and "Asami" fell like music on Asami's ears.

The powerful arm above her left the window and wrapped around her head, fingers curling into her hair as Korra held her in place. She smiled slightly before biting down hard on Korra's nipple and pumping her fingers in and out of the beauty as fast as she possibly could.

Korra tensed mightily, squeezing their intertwined fingers and pulling on her hair as her orgasm continued to build.

Asami fought hard to keep her fingers inside Korra as the woman's hips bucked sporadically, sucking with her teeth still latched tightly on her dark nipple the entire time.

Korra removed her arm from Asami's head and placed her hand on the window for support so she could hunch over. She quietly panted Asami's name over and over again as her fingers made the tribal beauty's walls contract harder and more frequently. Asami could sense Korra's imminent orgasm and adjusted her hand slightly so she could rub Korra's sensitive clit while she fingered her... and that was all it took to send the woman over the edge.

Korra moaned loudly and spasmed as Asami drew the orgasm out to its full potential, working her fingers feverishly into Korra's tightening center.

Slowly she reduced the movements of her fingers to a stop inside Korra's wet core as the contractions subsided and she released the dusky nipple with a wet 'pop'.

She ran the tip of her tongue soothingly against the rigid nipple in front of her, "Mmm... how was that?"

The Southern woman squeezed their intertwined fingers and looked down at her, dazed. Asami smiled lightly as Korra withdrew her hand from the window and brushed some of her stray, raven hair from her face, murmuring, "Absolutely... mind-blowing..."

Asami slipped her fingers out of Korra's hot opening as she ducked her head back out from under her buff arm.

Raising her finger tips up from between Korra's shaking legs, she wiped some of the slickness on the tan woman's parted lips before capturing those delicious cognac lips with her own. She ran her still wet fingers down Korra's neck and chest while they kissed passionately; her hand kneading the breast and nipple that had yet to receive any proper attention.

Eventually, Korra pressed back against Asami and parted their lips to whisper, "I believe it's time I returned the favor, but before that, I have two questions for you: the first is, do you find it pleasurable to sleep with men? The second is, are you flexible?"

 _'What the fuck?'_ Asami's mouth dropped open as she sat back on Korra's calf, "Um... yes, I enjoy sleeping with men... but if that's you asking if Bolin can join, the answer is no. And as for your second question, yes, I'm pretty flexible. I couldn't join the circus for it but I can definitely hold my own. Now a question of my own: why?"

Korra laughed as she untangled herself from Asami and crawled off the bed, "That wasn't me asking if Bo could join and you'll find out. Now take the pillows and make a pile to prop yourself up. Lay on your back, close your eyes, and keep them closed until I tell you otherwise — I don't want you to ruin the surprise."

She bit her lip, apprehensive, but the reassuring smile Korra shot her was enough to convince her to move and set-up the pillows as she was directed. As she nervously laid back on the pillows and closed her eyes, she slipped her slightly damp fingers into her mouth and sucked the remaining wetness from Korra off, enjoying the flavor. _'It's okay... whatever it is she plans to do, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.'_ She heard a drawer slide shut and some commotion by the side of the bed before she felt the mattress give where Korra crawled on.

—

The bed creaked slightly as Korra crawled toward the alabaster goddess spread on her pillows. She tightened the harness around her hips slightly as she reached Asami's ankles, "Okay, Asami, remember to keep your eyes closed. I'm going to stretch your leg up, so tell me if you're uncomfortable or in pain and I'll stop."

The pale woman nodded at her and shook slightly as Korra took her leg and lifted it so the back of her milky thigh and calf rested against her tan torso and chest. She wrapped one arm around the smooth leg and slid forward carefully on her knees — making sure not to brush against Asami lest she ruin the surprise herself — until her hips were only an inch away and a few inches above Asami's.

"How's that? Are you still comfortable?" Korra pressed her lips gently to the calf by her face and trailed her other hand down the heiress' toned stomach to the thin, dark strip of hair that graced Asami's mound. _'Ha. Of course she's trimmed.'_ She traced idle patterns on pale pelvic skin as Asami nodded her head in assent.

"Mmm... good." She slipped a finger slowly into the engineer's slick folds, exploring cautiously; the action made the woman beneath her groan lightly. Emboldened by the positive reception of her finger, Korra found her sensitive nub and slowly worked it in circles for a few strokes before slipping her finger down and into the woman's hot center.

Asami clenched around her finger slightly but otherwise lay motionless as she prodded the inventor's tight walls. _'Spirits, she's tight... and she already feels wet enough...'_ She withdrew her finger, satisfied, and gripped the rubber device hanging from the harness around her waist. She gently edged the tip between Asami's folds and rubbed it against the woman's sensitive clit, eliciting a very loud gasp as the cool-to-the-touch object pressed on the engineer's sizzling bundle of nerves.

Korra smirked as she watched Asami's fingers curl tightly into the pillows beneath her billowing raven hair, "Ahh... fuck, Korra. Is that a dildo?"

In response, she pushed the tip down some to Asami's slick entrance and slowly pushed it in with her hips; a throaty moan burst from the jade-eyed beauty's lips as the cool rubber entered her. Korra slid it back out slightly and then pushed her hips forward again, sinking the object a little deeper with each in-and-out. She did this until she could finally slide it completely inside her hot center, where she stopped her movements. She moved the hand that had been guiding the dildo to Asami's flushed face and cupped her cheek, running her thumb gently over the smooth skin, "Okay. Now you can open your eyes."

Korra's heart skipped a few beats and desire burned in her gut as Asami's beautiful jade eyes fluttered open, dilated and glazed over with lust. The woman gasped, puzzled, as she took in the harness and dildo, "You don't have to use your hand?"

Korra chuckled and shook her head, pulling her hips back slightly and pushing them forward again — sliding the dildo tantalizingly out then in — to prove her point, "Nope. It's what they call a 'strap-on'. A friend of Iroh's from the Nation showed me it. I loved it so much, I had the girl make me one. How does it feel?"

Panting slightly, the heiress rocked her hips some against the dildo, "Wonderful. It feels... absolutely wonderful. Spirits, I'm so tight and it feels _so_ good..." Asami gave a loud gasp as Korra leaned forward more, pressing the inventor's toned leg closer to her lightly heaving chest.

"How about now?"

"Better... so much better..."

Korra continued to lean forward some, shifting her hand from Asami's face to the pillow beside it for support, "And now?"

Asami's strong, lean arms shot up and wrapped around Korra's neck, pulling her close until the heiress' knee was almost pressed into her alabaster chest. This caused Korra to become slightly off-balance and she had to release the woman's leg and move her hand to the pillows to prop herself up with both arms; she was practically laying on Asami at this point, the only thing separating their chests was the pale woman's trembling thigh. _'She wasn't lying — she is flexible... Oh man, this is gonna be good...'_

"THERE! Ohhhh... right... there..." gasped Asami. Her eyes had rolled into the back of her head and her mouth was wide-open in desire. Korra took advantage of the position and pressed her lips hard against the engineer's as she slowly started moving her hips in and out, sliding the dildo through Asami's incredibly tight center. The arms around her neck tightened to pull her deeper into the kiss and their tongues battled for entry into the other's mouth as Korra continued to slowly pump in and out of Asami.

Their lips broke apart for air and Asami gulped greedily between whimpered escapes of "faster". Korra's skin raised in goosebumps from the pure yearning in the woman's voice and started to thrust her hips slightly faster, causing Asami to break into a constant, low moan.

She spread her knees a touch wider to get a better angle and the shift caused Asami to cry out, "Stop! Korra, stop!"

Panicking, Korra slipped the dildo completely out of Asami and sat up straight, letting her pale leg fall off her shoulder and onto the bed. She grasped the woman's face in both her hands, "Asami, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you."

The woman tried speaking between gasps of air, "You didn't... didn't hurt me. It just... oh, spirits, it feels... so good. I can't..." she groaned, a bright red blush creeping up her pale neck and cheeks, "I can't stay... quiet. If you... keep it up, I'll scream... and, you know... Bolin's in the other room..."

Korra felt her jaw drop, "Seriously? That's why you had me stop? I thought I hurt you."

Asami had managed to get her breathing under control at this point, though her chest was still heaving, "Yes, seriously. I don't want to wake him up."

That caused Korra to laugh heartily, "Don't worry about him. He could sleep through a war going on in the living room; anything you can do won't be enough to wake him — trust me." She leaned forward and kissed Asami deeply before moving her lips to the inventor's ear, whispering seductively, "Besides... I want to hear you. You made me beg and now I want to make you scream..."

She felt the woman shiver beneath her, "O... okay... but you've been warned. I can be loud... Very. Very. Loud."

Korra sat up straight, taking the heiress' leg and propping it against her chest again. She guided the dildo slowly back into Asami, leaning forward to their previous position once the object was fully inserted, "I wouldn't have it any other way." The pale woman craned her neck up, this time wrapping her arms under Korra's and around the middle of her tan back. Korra slipped one of her arms under the heiress' neck and cupped a soft breast in the other.

Asami kissed her gently and whispered, "Make me scream, Admiral. That's a direct order."

"Yes ma'am." grunted Korra. She bit Asami's bottom lip as she began thrusting in and out; the woman beneath her rocked her hips against Korra's in time to her thrusts. They quickly fell into a comfortable rhythm that had both of them panting.

Korra ghosted her fingers down the heiress' pale side to her hip and sunk her nails hard into the soft flesh — leaving small, red crescents — as she picked up the speed and pumped her hips harder, pushing the dildo as deep as she can with each thrust.

Asami groaned softly at the mixture of pain and pleasure, "Korra, harder... please... harder..."

Unsure as to what Asami wanted 'harder', Korra increased both the pressure of her fingernails and the speed of her thrusts.

Asami rewarded her with a strangled cry of pleasure as Korra's nails broke skin and drew blood, "More! Faster!"

Korra rested her forehead in the crook of Asami's neck as she curled her fingers even harder into the woman's hip — little drops of blood falling on the sheets and the muscles of her forearm straining — as she continually increased her speed. Her hips slammed into Asami's pelvis over and over, the room filling with their loud panting and moaning.

Sweat trickled down her back as she spread her knees apart some more, digging her toes into the sheets to find more purchase for leverage. Asami's chest heaved and dewed with sweat as their bodies slid against each other.

The heiress dragged her fingernails hard down Korra's flexing back. The residual hot, red trails of pleasure made Korra hiss, "Asamiii..."

Asami responded in kind, whimpering, "Kor... Korraaa..."

Korra frantically moved her fingers from Asami's hip to between their legs, roughly sliding her finger between tender folds to rub vigorously at the inventor's sensitive clit.

Asami bucked beneath her wildly at the sudden stimulation of her nerves, "KORRA! OHHHhhhh... _hnngghh_... don't you... _uhhhngghh_... _dare_ stop..."

Korra grunted as she doubled her speed, breathing between thrusts, "Wasn't... planning... on... it."

She rubbed harder into the woman's wet, swollen clit; Asami was tensing consistently beneath her now and she could feel the heiress' abs contract and release from clenching over and over. _'Almost there...'_

Korra turned her hand over so the back of it was resting against Asami's mound, allowing her to pinch the heiress' clit between her middle and index finger and rub with her thumb.

Asami dug her nails into Korra's sides and shouted, "YES! _HHHNGGHHhhh_... YES! YES! OHHhhh... KORRA... Ohhh... I'm gonna... gonna... _hmmnnghh_... COME..."

Korra threw back her head and thrust as hard and fast as she could, her muscles screaming in protest, as she squeezed the engineer's clit between her fingers.

All of a sudden, Asami's body froze with her eyes closed and her mouth open, breath temporarily hitched in her throat, as Korra continued to thrust as fast and hard as she could. A full twenty seconds of this transpired before the alabaster goddess gave an immense shudder — pulling her nails down Korra's sides hard enough to draw blood — in blissful release and howled at the top of her lungs, " _KORRA_!..."

The magnitude of her wet climax forced the dildo out of her as she pushed back on Korra's chest forcefully with the involuntary flex of her leg. Korra didn't fight it and slid back some on the bed to fully appreciate Asami (glistening with a fine sheen of sweat) twitching and spasming through the aftershocks of her orgasm.

 

———

"Hey, Opal! It's Bolin — I'm glad I finally got through to you... fucking thunderstorm." Bolin sat on the couch, bouncing his knee up and down nervously.

_"Hi Bolin. What's up?"_

"Nothing. I'm just—"

**"YES! _HHHNGGHHhhh_... YES! YES! OHHhhh... KORRA... Ohhh... I'm gonna... gonna... _hmmnnghh_... COME..." _  
_**

He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to block out the sounds coming from the bedroom, "—calling to let you know that Korra and I are staying home tonight... you know, weather and stuff..."

There was a brief second of silence on the other end of the line.  _"...Did someone just shout that they're going to come or am I hearing things?"_

Bolin shifted uncomfortably on the couch, his pants a tad bit tighter than he'd like to admit, "No, no... you're not hearing things. Someone did just shout that... Korra kind of met a girl at the shop tonight and they've been at it for about an hour now..."

_"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Go Korra! It's about time she took a night off for herself. What's the girl like? Is she hot?"_

_" **KORRA!..."**_

Bolin crossed his legs and tried valiantly to ignore the throbbing there, "...She's easily one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. I can say with no hesitation that you come in first and she comes in second, tied with Korra."

_"Very smooth, lover boy. Keep talking like that and I may actually let you take me out on a date. Now, do I know her? And was that the big finish?"_

"Uh... maybe on both counts? She comes from a very wealthy, very prominent family in Republic City."

_"That doesn't help me identify whether I know her or not and if she just came. What's her name and did they just finish?"_

"How the hell am I supposed to know if they're finished? It's not like I'm going to go peek or ask them; come on, Opal."

_"Fine. At least tell me who the girl is."_

"...Asami Sato."

_"Korra is having sex with Asami Sato!? As in 'Future Industries' Asami Sato!?!"_

Bolin sighed heavily, "Yes... and I'm about to go stand out in the rain since I can't take a cold shower without walking through the bedroom."

_"Ha ha ha. Poor Bolin... Too bad the streets are flooding, otherwise I would tell you to come to my place and I could fix your problem."_

"Woman, why do you tease me so?"

_"Because it's fun and you're cute. Anyway, I've got to go. The others are arriving and we need to really go over case files and police reports; don't worry, we can handle everything for now. You try to have a good night... I'd say the same for Korra... buttttt, we already know she's having a great one. Night Bolin."_

"Thanks for rubbing it in. Night Opal."

———

 

Korra licked her lips hungrily at the view before her and quickly moved forward again, spreading Asami's legs wide and burying her mouth in her sweet and salty core. She lapped at the wetness and rolled her tongue against the woman's engorged clit. She hastily slid two fingers into her dripping core and curled her fingers while thrusting in and out.

"Ohhhh... ohhhhhhh... _hhnnnghhh_... I... I can't... Korra... I... _mmmmmmm_..." Asami knotted her fingers tightly into Korra's hair and held her face there as her hips kicked up into her mouth.

It took less than a minute of Korra fingering and licking to bring the gorgeous woman over the edge again in a quieter but just as satisfying orgasm, the fruit of her labor running down her chin.

The heiress pulled on her hair to bring Korra's lips up to hers, kissing and licking her juices off of Korra's mouth and face. _  
_

She kissed Asami passionately before nipping her chin gently, "How was that?"

Asami giggled shakily with her eyes closed and wrapped her arms around Korra's neck before kissing her deeply, "Absolutely mind-blowing."

"I've heard that somewhere before." Korra chuckled quietly and pressed her nose against Asami's in a tender eskimo kiss, eyes shutting slowly.

Korra could feel Asami smiling as she rubbed her nose against Korra's, running her hands slowly down her tan back. The sudden jerk Asami gave beneath her had Korra's eyes flying open in concern.

"Korra, I'm so sorry!"

"What? What is it?" Korra sat up and stared at her, unnerved. She was uncomprehending as Asami brought her hands between them; there were small, red streaks on her fingers, palms, and wrists, barely distinguishable in the modest dark.

Asami stared horror-stricken at her hands as she spoke softly, "I... I hurt you. I made you bleed." Her consternation was met with a snort of derision from Korra. "Why're you laughing?"

"Asami, I'm fine. And if we're playing the 'I'm sorry I made you bleed' game," Korra swiped her hand over Asami's hip, pulling away slightly bloody fingertips and wiggling them in demonstration to the heiress, "then I should be apologizing, too."

Korra leaned in and kissed the wide-eyed engineer softly, "I promise you that I'm fine. Let me go get some first aid supplies, though. We should probably clean ourselves up before we completely ruin Bolin's brand-new sheets." With that, she slid off the bed, unlatched the harness to let the strap-on fall to the floor, and sauntered into the bathroom.

She returned only moments later with a small towel, cleansing solution, and some bandages. Korra crawled back on the bed and gently cleaned the bleeding nail marks she'd left on the woman's alabaster skin, bandaging them tenderly. Bending over and kissing the bandage softly, she chuckled, "See? All better."

Asami snorted and sat up, gesturing for Korra to turn around, "Yeah, yeah. Okay, let's get you cleaned up as well." The heiress took the supplies from Korra and applied the burning solution to Korra's scratches, causing her to yelp slightly. "Seriously, Korra? Aren't you supposed to be some badass war hero or something?"

Korra pouted playfully over her shoulder, "Whaaat? This shit stings on minor scrapes since that's where all the nerve-endings are. Plus, you just made me weak in the best way possible." That got a small chuckle out of Asami before the inventor applied the bandages to her sides, causing her to twitch some from the tickling sensation.

Once Asami was done bandaging her up, Korra took the supplies and dropped them into an unceremonious pile on the floor with their scattered clothing. She and Asami straightened out the pillows and flopped down together on the bed, shoulder-to-shoulder.

Korra stared at the ceiling and, after several minutes, wrapped her fingers around Asami's hand, speaking softly, "Thank you, Asami."

The alabaster beauty rolled onto her side, holding onto Korra's hand, and stared at her with those dazzling jade eyes that made her heart pound (even if she could only see them in her peripherals), "For what?"

Korra turned her head so that she was staring into those soul-searching eyes. She could say for the sex... or she could say for bandaging her up... but neither of those reasons were the real reason. She laid there for a few quiet seconds, simply staring. As she got lost in Asami's eyes, she found herself doing something that she almost never does... and opened up to her, "It's hard to explain."

Asami leaned in and kissed her softly, "Try?"

She sighed and turned her face to stare at the completely fogged window, "For... simultaneously making me feel weak and strong. For being the first person to make me feel like..." she gestured to her scars, "my 'flaws' are more like accomplishments than failures, if that makes sense. You just... make me feel human and god-like at the same time. See? I can't really explain it."

Asami rolled back onto her back and laid there deep in thought for several quiet moments, "I think I get it."

Korra sat up and stared down at her, her hand still clasped around Asami's, "You do? Because that would make only one of us."

Asami chuckled and turned her head so she was looking directly into Korra's eyes again, "I think you're thanking me because unlike everyone else in the world, I've treated you like an equal instead of a messiah. You and I have quickly developed a 'give-and-take' relationship whereas the vast majority of other people in the world just 'take and take' from you, which is completely draining. You want people to have safety and security and you're willing to do anything for that to happen, no matter how horrible the outcome sometimes is for you. You're selfless, passionate, and empathetic... and deep down, you know that you deserve to 'take', too."

Korra smiled slightly as Asami squeezed her hand gently before continuing to speak, "You said I make you feel god-like... that's because you have a strength unlike any other person I've ever met. Spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically... everything about you is strong and I let you exert your will over me without a fight because I trust you — you got to be in charge and in control of the situation like you prefer. You also said I make you feel human... that's because you felt safe enough with me to let your guard down since, whether you realize it or not, you don't always want to be the strong one — you need someone else to take charge from time to time... hence your eager willingness to let me push you around and have my way with you first. As for your _scars_ , they are accomplishments — not failures or 'flaws'. They're proof that you've overcome the worst the world has to offer and you're still here and fighting. You and I both know that there is not one single person in this world besides you that could have gone through even a fraction of the shit you have and come out stronger in the end. The White Lotus weren't lying when they said you were special, truly."

"Has anyone ever told you that you should be a motivational speaker? Or a psychologist?"

Asami just laughed and tugged on her hand, urging her to lay back down, "I'm pretty positive engineering is my true calling... I'll just chalk up my observations and conclusions to paying attention like any good analytical person would."

Korra laid back down with an over-exaggerated huff, "I still think 'Doctor Sato' has a nice ring to it."

With her free hand, Asami reached over and punched her in the arm, "CEO of Future Industries has an even better ring to it." Korra just laughed and settled into the pillows some more.

They lay there quietly, shoulder-to-shoulder and hand-in-hand, for about ten minutes before Asami nudged her shoulder, "What are you thinking about?"

"How tired I am."

"No, really, Korra. What are you thinking about?"

Korra turned her head to look at Asami, who mirrored the action, "I'm thinking about a lot of things and nothing at the same time. Just little snippets of thought race through my head, but I don't focus on anything."

"Like what?"

Korra sighed and kissed Asami's shoulder softly, "How beautiful you are... how I miss my parents and home... how the area of my arm where Zaheer's snake bit me feels like it's on fire right now... how the pain brings back all the memories of me wanting to die right there in that cave... how I love the sound of rolling thunder... how I really want a good bowl of seaweed noodles. Like I said, a lot of things and nothing."

Asami scooted closer to her, "Why didn't you die that day?"

She opened her mouth to brush off Asami's question like she does every other time someone asks it, but the words that came out weren't what she had intended, "Because... I couldn't let Zaheer get away with destroying the peace and upsetting the balance of the world. It was my responsibility to stop him and I was going to do everything I could to end his reign of terror."

"How did you survive, though? By all accounts, the venom should have made it impossible for you to fight him and should have killed you."

"Honestly? I don't know. I get this huge surge of energy when my life is in danger and all of a sudden, I can do things that no human should be able to do; I become so much stronger and faster than should be possible. People tell me it's just an adrenaline rush, but I think it's more than that... and wielding that much power is kind of terrifying. Couple that with the fact that I don't know what causes it in some life-threatening situations but not others, or why it happens to me, and yeah... like I said, terrifying." She kissed Asami's shoulder again, "It happened a few times during the Civil War, too... and when Amon had me. It helped me live in those situations, but it isn't perfect and I don't always come out of it unscathed... as I'm sure you're aware." Korra closed her eyes tightly against the memory of being crippled. _'Why am I telling her about this? I've never told anyone about this.'_

She opened her eyes to find that Asami had turned her face towards the ceiling, a contemplative look etched into her features. After a few silent seconds, Asami whispered, "Thank you for telling me."

Korra just nodded mutely and turned her face to the ceiling as well, lost in the memories of her past for several minutes.

"Asami?"

"Yes?"

"...Will you please hold me?"

"Of course."

Korra let go of the inventor's hand and sat up, pushing down on the sheets to slide beneath them. Once she was situated under the blankets, she rolled on her side, facing away from Asami.

Asami followed suit and slid under the blankets, sliding her arm under the pillow and Korra's head as the heiress scooted close. Korra smiled softly as the beautiful woman gently pulled her dark chocolate hair out of her face and over her shoulder, tucking it neatly out of the way for both of them. The heiress followed this by draping her arm over Korra's waist and pulling herself flush to her tan backside, spooning her intimately.

They wove their legs together as Asami pressed soft kisses to Korra's neck and shoulder and Korra laced her fingers with the pale fingers pressed against her stomach. _'I could get used to this.'_

Korra yawned loudly, sleep dragging on her heavily now. She smiled lazily as she felt Asami nuzzle into her more, soaking up her body heat. _'Yup, I could definitely get used to this...'_

"Goodnight, Korra."

"...Night 'Sami..."

 


End file.
